A Sea of Stars
by Noatun
Summary: Lina Inverse just can't catch a break! A few months after the defeat and banishment of Dark Star, just when she thought she was in luck, a mishap at the Temple of Chronos leaves the Slayers stranded in East Blue. The group is joined by Luke and Milina as they pursue their goals and dreams in this new world.
1. Chapter 1 - A Sea of Stars

**Chapter 1: ****A Sea of Stars**

**Standard Disclaimer: **I don't own the Slayers or One Piece universes, which belong solely to their creators. No challenge to or infringement upon existing copyrights is intended.

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><p>...<p>

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><p>"Lots and lots of powers…?" Lina scoffed, not believing a word that she was hearing.<p>

"Why yes!" the tourism official smiled, his voice dripping with false sincerity. "According to the legend, the original owner of this sword confronted the Hellmaster himself during the War of Resurrection. Surely a traveling sorceress and swordsman would find some better use for it than, ah, humble townsfolk such as ourselves. Four hundred gold pieces to take it away. What do you say?"

There were some weapons so famous that their names were instantly recognizable. The Demon King's Staff of Bones once clashed with apocalyptic force against Ceipheed's Flare Dragon Sword. The Elmekia Blade, which cut only on the Astral Plane. Closest to home was the Sword of Light, which Gourry had given away following a recent conflict. The list was pretty short.

Rumors of these and other artifacts abounded, luring treasure hunters ever onward. A marvelous weapon slumbering in a forgotten cave. An enchanted lake where a beautiful lady would emerge and hand over a legendary sword in exchange for a broken blade. The lost temple of the Water Dragon King, concealing a staff capable of pacifying the seas themselves. And most commonly, a sword stuck in a rock conveniently located just outside of towns and villages, waiting for a worthy owner to pull it out.

Nearly all fake of course, cheap tourist attractions placed there by the villagers. Some places will collect a fee from anyone who wants to try their luck at drawing the sword out. Others charge just for the privilege of looking. Some go the extra mile and use blades enhanced by gems or enchantments to fool travelers into buying them at inflated prices. Just like this village here.

"Well, the design is nice." Lina began, drawing the blade from its sheath. A solitary diamond rested at the end of its silver latticed hilt, its gleam captivating the eye when held to the light. "And I can tell it's got good deflection."

"Uh huh! Uh-huh! That's right!" The tourism official nodded eagerly.

"And it's plenty sharp too! Actually better than most I've seen." Lina finished her analysis and handed the weapon to Gourry. The blonde swordsman quickly removed a bent and fire scorched sword from his belt, replacing it with the newcomer.

"Twenty-five." Lina said confidently, removing a handful of coins from a hidden pouch. The deal was already done in her mind.

"Twenty-five!? Surely a blade such as this is worth at least three-hundred and fifty!"

"No, I think twenty-five sounds about right."

"How about just two-hundred?"

"Twenty-five."

"One-fifty?'

"Twenty-five."

"Um, miss!?" The tourism official wailed, his face contorting in a mixture of frustration and anxiety, "If you can't pay the going price you should at least barter toward a midpoint!"

"Oh I can pay," The young sorceress waved the man off, "But this sword simply isn't worth that much. You might be able to fool some second-rate wizard but I can tell _exactly_ what enchantments are on it. So with that I think you're getting a real bargain. I'm giving you twenty five plus..." Lina paused, twirling a finger through a lock of hair. She grinned deviously as an idea filtered through her mind.

"Plus the promise not to tell anyone else on the road just what sort of 'legendary' weapon your village has."

The official's face paled instantly at the retort. "Twenty-five." He gave his mumbled consent, taking the coins with one hand.

Enjoying a moment of satisfaction in an otherwise dull journey, Lina looked back toward Gourry for an endorsement of her cunning. The blank return stare reminded Lina that there was no moment too perfect for her 'protector' to ruin.

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><p>Holding a Light spell close to his map as the sky darkened and woods faded to black, Zelgadis gave a grunt of annoyance when Lina butted into his thoughts.<p>

"So? So? How much further Zel?" Lina tugged impatiently at his sleeve.

"We'll get there when we get there." Zelgadis scowled and quickly fought her off. Once again, Lina had ensnared him with a familiar siren's call; a cure for his hated chimerism. The journey so far had been thoroughly unproductive.

"What nice weather we're having right Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia chimed in absentmindedly. Lina's pattern of beating and looting every bandit gang they came across was making a wild goose chase take even longer. And now Amelia was picking up the habit, throwing herself into the fray with almost more enthusiasm than Lina did. Zelgadis shuddered, but couldn't help smiling at the same time. The Saillune princess had an outlet at last after months spent trapped attending her royal duties.

"Yeah," Zelgadis replied, raising a hand and pointing toward the northeast, where faint red glow of the setting sun was visible over the horizon. "Anyway, there should be a town somewhere in that direction. If we stay there we should reach the marked location before noon tomorrow."

"Hey guys, does the sun normally set in the northeast?" Gourry squinted at the red haze in the distance, "I wonder if there's a fire over there."

Zelgadis watched silently as a jolt seemed to pass through Lina's body.

"This is no time to be standing around! Don't you realize what this means, Gourry? If that fire is burning down the next town, we're going to have to sleep outside tonight! Outside, in the cold!" The sorceress shrieked.

"What sort of monster would set a fire to a nice peaceful town..." Amelia added, the indignation building in her throat until it erupted in a crescendo. "The evildoers shall be smashed by the hammer of justice!"

"Well, yeah, but there's not much we can do about it..." Gourry mumbled carelessly, apparently content to mind his own business.

"Of course there is! We can hurry up and help put it out. For a reward of course." Lina urged as she wrapped a hand around Gourry's arm. A fierce windstorm kicked up, condensing into a barrier that carried the two through the air. Chanting their own incantations, Zelgadis and Amelia quickly followed suit.

The village ahead was wreathed in flames. Not just one or two buildings but a full quarter of the town had already been ravaged by the conflagration, and the rest would follow in short order. From the air, the party could make out monstrous shadows darting through the flames, tormenting the terrified townsfolk. Lesser demons: the weakest members of the Mazoku race who possessed the bodies of animals in order to affect the physical world. Perhaps some local sorcerer had summoned more than he could handle; it was common knowledge that most could only control two, and the demons would reverted to their base instincts if released.

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><p>Following the sudden demise of the demon lords Gaav and Phibrizo, Lina had found her repertoire of spells reduced to simply unacceptable levels. So in addition to searching for a replacement sword, Lina had dragged Gourry by the ear to mage's guilds, archeological sites and libraries in search of information on the enigmatic Zelas Metallium and Deep Sea Dolphin.<p>

"Zelas Brid!" Lina shouted as a ribbon of shimmering energy emerged from her outstretched hands. The Brass Demon in front of her scarcely had time to cry out before the spell weaved its way through its chest. Its body collapsed, withering to dust while giving off an acrid burning stench. Another beast attacked from behind, flinging a barrage of Flare Arrows. Lina smirked as the band of light snaked back, interposing itself before the projectiles and detonating each in midair before fading away. Alright, this one still needed a little work.

With a deep snarl the demon gathered its power, forming it into several floating orbs of arcane fire.

"Felzareid!"

A bolt of light flashed through Lina's peripheral vision and speared through the demon's head. Quickly taking a look at her surroundings, Lina traced the flight path of the spell to a lone female figure crouching upon a rooftop. The woman looked to be in her 20s, her silver hair whipping about in the breeze, reflecting the dull orange glow of the remaining fires.

"We'll talk later. First, them." The sorceress gestured in the direction of the remaining creatures. With a nod, Lina turned her attention back to demon slaying.

The chirping of birds resumed as the battle drew to a close. Though many of the villagers had fled, nearly half the town was consumed by flame. Even Lina couldn't bring herself to demand compensation as the wails of those who had lost homes, friends and family members filled the air.

"Yo, you weren't half bad!" A black-haired young man swaggered up as Lina took a moment to lean against a wall. A mercenary perhaps, wearing a suit of light plate. Objectively Lina could have said he was good looking, but something about his stark red eyes seemed just a bit too sharp and cruel.

"Who are you calling not bad!?" Lina protested at his patronizing tone. "Now look here old man-"

The mercenary froze and his shoulders trembled slightly. A tic formed underneath one eye and a vein bulged out of his forehead. "Old... old man?"

"That's right!" Lina pressed, cutting him off, "Just who do you think you are telling me that I'm not half bad when you hardly lifted a finger, huh? An _old man_ that's who!"

The mercenary's lip quivered as he shrank before the verbal barrage, looking around pleadingly. Lina followed his gaze, taking note of the silver-haired sorceress approaching, stopping behind him. For her part, the woman ignored her partner's pitiful glance.

Peeling herself from the wall, Lina decided it was better to just get out while she was ahead.

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><p>...<p>

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><p>"What are you following us for?!" The mercenary from earlier blurted as Lina lead her party into the dining floor of a tavern. He and his partner had already taken a table and were waiting for their meal.<p>

"This is the only inn left in town idiot!" Lina shot back venomously. "I didn't come here because I wanted to see _you_."

"Err... did something happen between them?" Amelia whispered to Zelgadis, slowly shifting away from the action.

"Luke, how about the two of you put this off for some other time." The sorceress' quiet voice effortlessly defused the bomb that was about to explode.

"Well, as much as I like to see annoying girls get what they deserve," Luke said, "if Milina says so I ain't objecting."

The white-haired sorceress, Milina it seemed, began again, introducing herself charmingly. She noted offhandedly that she was traveling with Luke in search of some rumored artifact around these parts.

"Hmm, what a coincidence. We're here chasing rumors of a new spell." Lina quickly lied in response, silencing Amelia's objection with a swift kick to the shin, under the table and out of sight.

"When you're a world-class sorceress like me you have to work hard to stay on top."

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><p>The sun rose, sending tendrils of light streaming between the mountain crags, sweeping over trees and towns. A songbird alighted on a branch, bobbing slightly before bursting into into melody.<p>

A piercing scream erupted from an adjacent building, sending the poor creature fluttering for distance.

"Wake up you bums!" Lina exploded into the men's room and gave each of their beds a hard kick. "Get up, we're leaving right now!"

"Hey, hey Lina!" Gourry objected, "What's the rush?"

"You heard them!" Lina replied, "Those two are treasure hunters. And if they're looking for what we're looking for there's a good chance it might actually be worth something. This is the best lead we've had in a while so it's absolutely essential that _we_ get there first!"

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><p>"Woahhh... hey Lina check it out, there's a funny looking cloud up there." Gourry gazed up absentmindedly, loafing around without a care in the world.<p>

"I don't care about some stupid cloud right now Gourry." Lina growled impatiently, sweeping her hands through the thick underbrush. The tourism official's instructions had stated that a hidden passage lay somewhere nearby, which would lead them to their next objective.

"Better yet, if you have time to stare at clouds, how about giving me a hand here?"

"It's already been three hours since we've started searching this path." Zelgadis added unhelpfully. "Lina, are you sure this is the right place?"

"My...my... what do we have here?" A voice drifted through the air, smooth as a dagger plunging through silk. The space above a nearby tree branch seemed to part, making way for a spinning black cone, replaced an instant later by a purple haired young man, smiling in a disarmingly friendly expression. The self-proclaimed 'trickster priest' Xellos.

_We're on the right track to something,_ was Lina's immediate thought, _But it might not be something we want._

"Xellos! What are you doing here?" Zelgadis was the first to react, his hand shifting to the hilt of his weapon. Naturally wary and distrusting, Zelgadis was never happy to see the Mazoku.

"Come now Mr. Zelgadis, after all we've been through together you needn't be so hostile. We're friends right?" The trickster priest lowered himself to the ground, leaning slightly on his staff for balance. "I've here to help you find for your objective because it is an object of interest to me as well. Have you heard of... the Temple of Chronos?"

"What?!" Lina could not help but blurt out, "The Temple of Chronos? You mean the mystical ground whose location varies from day to day and can only be found once in a person's lifetime? The artifact said to grant its wielder anything he desires?"

"That would be it." Xellos agreed, "And you're in luck! Shall I take you to it?"

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><p>Hours of searching through the underbrush were instantly forgotten as Xellos lead the group unerringly along some path known only to him, to a cave entrance covered by a curtain of tall, grassy stalks.<p>

Pausing to push aside the last few bunches of reeds, the Mazoku priest held out a hand as if in welcome. Lina's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness until she could make out a flat metallic disc resting on the dank cave floor. As she stared, the center of the disc glowed blue, its parts shifting and sliding to form what appeared to be a world, divided by a massive mountain range that ran down its meridian. And beside the platform stood the two treasure hunters, Luke and Milina.

"Oh," Milina spoke first, doing her best to conceal the surprise in her voice, "It looks like we were searching for the same thing after all."

"Wow, this place must be pretty famous if you guys were looking for it too." Gourry said.

"Well of course!" Lina rushed into the cavern, hands clasped together eagerly. She scanned the disk with her eyes for any sign of further activity, making sure to keep a safe distance. "There are those who say this temple holds the power to transcend time and space and whomsoever enters it can be granted powers that put modern sorcery to shame."

"Well I have no idea what you are talking about but I guess the gist of it is that these ruins are pretty amazing right?" Gourry sidled up to the platform and scuffed it with a boot.

"Don't touch it just because you feel like it!" Lina snapped, "What if it-"

"_Ruby Eye System Activated. Input from Ark Master confirmed. Initiating dimensional transfer sequence._" A mechanical voice announced, permeating the air and seeming to originate from no particular point.

"H-hey is that supposed to happen?" Zelgadis stammered, trying hard to hide his alarm.

"_Countdown to Dimensional Transfer Sequence._"

"We should forget about this." Milina backed away from the device, giving Luke a nudge that snapped him out of his stupor.

"And high-tail it outta here!" Lina added.

"_10...9..._"

"Uwahh!" Amelia cried as she foot was caught on a fallen branch.

"_3...2...1..._"

"Hey that's not fair!" Gourry exclaimed, "Don't just start skipping numbers!"

"_Transferring._"

Darkness closed in from all sides, swallowing the surrounding landscape. The ground vanished, sending Lina tumbling uncontrollably through the blackness. Reaching frantically for anything she could grab hold of, Lina caught a glimpse of her companions spiraling through the void, their screams fading into the distance.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> The story is already written up to its twelfth chapter in its second arc, so updates will be pretty frequent until then. Just a heads-up, it's already pretty long, but I hope you all enjoy it.

The Slayers anime continuity predominates for our purposes here, with TRY being the act that came directly before. However, I will lift elements from other Slayers media here and there, as Luke and Milina already attest to.


	2. Chapter 2 - Arrival

**Chapter 2: ****Arrival**

**Strong World Arc**

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><p>A wave of cold water splashed over Lina's face, jolting her into consciousness. Throwing a foot down to regain her balance, Lina struggled awkwardly for a moment, before realizing that she was floating in the sea.<p>

"How'd I end up here?" Lina said to no one in particular. Reflexively she reached back, fingering a number of sacks hanging from her cloak, each one filled with coins and precious magical reagents. Confirming their presence, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Lina craned her head and scanned her surroundings. Though none of her friends were in the immediate area, there was a landmass visible in the distance. A port town lay upon the nearest shore, giving way to a lightly forested mountain. And above it...

Lina gaped as her eyes fell upon a second, larger island suspended in the air behind the first. Masses of water clung to its rocky cliffs, glistening like titanic sapphires and feeding a waterfall that plunged into the sea surface below.

Another splash of salty sea water into Lina's open mouth brought her back to her senses. She needed to find the others and figure out where in the world they arrived at.

"Raywing!" Lina called out, summoning a barrier of air that lifted her out of the sea. She took a moment to wring the water from her hair, and shivered as the magically animated wind blew against her sodden robes.

From her vantage point, Lina immediately identified Gourry floating face-up on the ocean surface, his knee-length hair spreading over the surface like strands trailing behind the body of a jellyfish. How appropriate. With a moment's thought the Raywing spell was turned downward, eventually forming a depression on the ocean surface. Gourry's eyelids fluttered open as Lina grabbed onto his boot.

"Hey Lin-mghff!" He gurgled as Lina lifted off with his leg in hand, plunging his face beneath the waves.

"Whoops! Sorry Gourry!" She apologized. With some effort, she rotated him to an upright position, holding him up by his shoulders. Though Gourry had the mental aptitude of a mass of seaweed, his acute senses and animal-like instincts would prove useful in the search.

"Hey Lina, is that what I think it is?" Gourry queried, gesturing toward the floating island.

"Glad to see I wasn't the only one seeing things." Lina replied. "We should check it out after we've found the others."

After five minutes of searching the two of them caught sight of Luke, flying a frantic, looping path over the ocean. Lina could not help but crack a laugh as she pieced together his desperation and the absence of Milina.

"Well, he wasn't really my first choice but I guess it's better than nothing." Lina whispered to Gourry as they approached, making sure to speak just loudly enough for Luke to overhear.

"What are you going to do about this!?" Luke exploded as he noticed them.

"Quit your bellyaching." Lina reassured him harshly, silently conceding that he was at least partially right. Though Gourry was the one who had activated the device.

"She and the others probably went to that town over there. Jeez, I bet if I didn't find you, you would have flown in circles out here until you died."

"I-I knew that!" Luke stammered, "Milina wouldn't get lost out here. I was... well come on!"

The trio made landfall and Luke broke off, mind filled with his own ideas on how to conduct a search. Lina shook her head as he flew about erratically, stopping at points of interest and doubling back to areas that he had already passed. She could do better. By imagining the town as a grid, no point would be missed and no time would be wasted.

"Hey Lina," Gourry pointed at something below, "There's something going on there"

Dropping lower, Lina noticed a minor commotion in the street, centered around a beige-cloaked figure. Strands of blue wire-like hair poked out from the edge of his hood, drawn over his head. Zelgadis.

"Hey Zel!" Lina dropped to the ground, releasing Gourry from her hold, noticing immediately that her landing had attracted a considerable amount of unhidden staring. The words "Devil Fruit" were heard being spoken repeatedly in hushed tones.

"Lina, do you know just what's going on here?" Zelgadis demanded, "I don't know of any island that looks like this. And furthermore, no one here seems to know about sorcery."

"Perhaps we were sent to the Outer World again?" Lina shrugged. Her stomach rumbled, a harsh reminder that they had left the inn that morning without eating breakfast. They needed a plan.

"Tell you what Zel," Lina began, "We'll split up. We need information. So we'll go find Amelia while you see if you can find some local maps or a library. That way we can figure out where we are and how we're going to get home."

Zelgadis nodded and gave a grunt of approval.

"Oh, and meet back at that restaurant in three hours!" Lina pointed to a lively establishment at the end of the street, "Because I am starving!"

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><p>Cries of alarm from the direction of the shore filtered to Lina's ear as she and Gourry strolled through the streets. Long distance flight was exhausting, especially when she had to generate enough lift for two.<p>

"Looks like... pirates." Gourry observed, squinting at a black-flagged caravel that had entered the inlet.

Lina smiled wickedly. "How nice of them to pay for dinner."

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><p>Sitting calmly amidst the panic erupting from the docks, Lina watched from the shore as the pirates crossed the bay. The ship cut quickly across the water's surface, pulled by its fluttering, triangular sails. A flag hoisted proudly over the tallest mast flapped in the breeze; the skull of its jolly roger altered into into a distinctive canine shape.<p>

"It's the Wolf Pack Pirates!" A dockworker shouted as he fled.

"Wow, these pirates are pretty colorful." Gourry remarked. "It's like that time we broke into the Fighting Dragon's Blood Macho-"

"Don't remind me." Lina interrupted. Of all the things that Gourry could have remembered from the Claire Bible debacle it had to be that.

"I had been thinking of making a change to pirates anyway." She added, rolling up her sleeves, "Bandits used to be as plentiful as cockroaches but... not anymore. And since Lina Inverse can't go without villains to thwart, I'll just have to beat up on some pirates instead, at least until the bandit population bounces back."

As the ship dropped anchor the hulking brute of a captain was the first to disembark, and at his command a horde of crewmates swept across the harbor, seizing anything they could carry. Large black-furred wolves were lead off the ship, snarling beasts kept barely restrained by the rattling chains around their necks. The captain himself swaggered up to one of the remaining dock workers and threw him to the ground.

"Don't worry, we're not here to wreck the place." He sneered. Around the dock, his crewmates were threatening the remaining civilians similarly. "Just give us what we want, and nobody gets hurt. See, I'm worth six million Belis. I've killed thirty two men, so if anybody tries anything-"

"Stop that! Stay away from my dad!" A young girl cried out as she darting out from the crowd, ignoring the hands that grasped at her, trying to pull her back.

"Hanji! Get away from here!" The prone dockworker cried as his daughter stood, teary-eyed but defiant, giving the captain as ferocious of a glare as she could muster.

"I-I'll tell the Marines!" She threatened.

In a flash the pirate's leader was on her, the tip of his sword pressed lightly against her neck.

"Kids should be quiet when adults are doing business." The brute suggested.

Pushing her way through the crowd, an older woman, probably the girl's mother, threw herself to the ground before the pirates.

"Please! Let her go!" The woman pleaded, "She doesn't know what she's saying."

A tic formed under Lina's right eye. Watching thugs like these bully a young child never failed to bring her blood to a boil. This had gone on long enough.

"When the ugly head of evil rises," a shrill voice interrupted from above, "a hero will surely emerge! Prepare yourselves to be smashed by the hammer of justice!"

Striking a pose while she concluded her speech, Amelia launched herself into a dramatic leap from her perch on a tree. As she cleared the canopy, an outstretched branch caught her foot, sending her crashing into the pavement, face first. A round of confused stares followed this utterly ridiculous display but the pirate captain was the first to speak. "I don't know what game you're trying to pull here, but if you're a Marine I'll have no mercy on you."

"Flare Arrow."

Bolts of flame flew from Lina's outstretched hands, blasting apart the pirate ship's mast with a crackling boom. The remaining crew members dove into the sea as burning fragments rained down, setting fire to the deck. Recovering from his shock, the captain drew his sword.

"Alright! Who the hell's responsible for this?!" He hollered.

"You must not get out a whole lot do you?" Lina stepped forward smugly, determined to take back the initiative that Amelia had stolen. "I'm both sorceress and swords-woman, blessed with radiant beauty and unparalleled intellect. Basically, all you creeps need to know is that I, Lina Inverse, am a perfectly-great-beautiful-genius sorceress."

"She must have eaten a Devil Fruit captain!" One of the crew members cried.

"Well you know what to do men!" The captain barked. "Throw her into the sea and fish her out later. I know where we can sell ability users like her for a good price."

The armed mob rushed forward as a unit, weapons drawn and ropes at the ready. Handlers unchained their wolves and the starving beasts bounded to attack. With so many civilians nearby, Lina decided against the usual serving of flame and fury; they needed as much goodwill as they could get. But that didn't mean she had to be nice.

Lina smiled wickedly as she summoned a howling gale, throwing the first group onto their backs. A wave of cold exploded out from the epicenter of a Freeze Bullet, covering the ground with a layer of steel-hard ice and freezing the pirates in their tracks. Spectral serpents stalked the battlefield, striking at the shadows of every pirate that approached too closely and causing mirrored wounds to appear on their flesh and blood bodies.

"What the hell's going on!?" The captain cried as his crew was fell around him, decimated in an eye-blink. Thinking fast and desperate to avoid capture, he grabbed the girl with one hairy paw while pressing his sword against her neck.

"Sleeping."

The brute collapsed to the ground, motionless and snoring loudly. Even the roar of a dragon would not have been able to awaken him. Relaxing her stance, Lina looked across the bay to see Milina, now accompanied by Luke, lowering her hands from their casting position.

"This crook said he had a bounty on his head right?" Lina turned and asked the astonished crowd, producing a rope from one of her bags.

"Where do I take him for his reward?"

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><p>Lina was secretly glad that Gourry had volunteered to accompany her to the collection office. She wasn't really one for sightseeing, and he was good at killing time with his absent-minded chatter.<p>

"Say, why did those pirates and the people in the marketplace think you were a 'Devil Fruit' user? You haven't... done anything like that right?" He asked.

"Who knows? It probably isn't that important and we can always find that out later, after we get our money."

Lina halted as the civilians milling about ahead made way, and a dozen men ran past, dressed in identical white shirts and dark blue pants. Each one cradled a gun between his hands, and Lina grimaced. She'd seen those kinds of weapons during their adventure in the Outer World, and while they were pretty innovative, there was just something she didn't like about them. The leader of the men ran at the front, his head covered by a cap with the word "Marine" emblazoned at the front.

"Hey!" Lina shouted, waving to catch their attention. "You're the Marines right?"

"That's Morris the Wolf!" One shouted, garnering some murmured agreements. Flipping through a stack of papers, he produced a wanted poster, with the captive's grinning face printed prominently at the center.

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><p>...<p>

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><p>"You're a new face." The dark-suited base commander quipped, glancing up briefly from his forms. He turned, unlocking a safe tucked securely in one corner, and withdrew a stack of what appeared to be slips of paper or cloth. Rolling a finger over the edges of the notes, he began to count them under his breath.<p>

"But this is quite a big haul you've made here. I don't know what you did to them but I have heard the rumors flying about, though that's not really my concern. Pirate captain Morris the Wolf, alive. His head's worth 6,000,000 Beli." The commander continued.

"Here's your payment." He slapped a wad of notes onto the counter top and gave it a gentle nudge in Lina's direction.

"This is my payment?" Lina said incredulously, exchanging looks with Gourry. Money came in the form of coins, made of precious metals that gleamed and dazzled the eye. What good was a stack of colorful paper?

"Well I did see people using these to buy things in town." Gourry whispered, "So maybe here they really do use paper sheets."

The commander gave Lina a stare as if she were the strangest person in the world and, somewhat reassured, she opted to drop the topic. Adding up the values printed on each note, Lina confirmed the total to be 6 million.

"So, I'm pretty new at this bounty hunting business." Lina addressed the commander, idly fingering the strange money. "Where I came from most criminals didn't have them. Got any advice for an innocent maiden looking to rid the world of evildoers?"

The commander paused in his scribbling to chuckle at the words 'innocent maiden'.

"Anyone can do bounty hunting so long as they aren't criminals themselves. Piracy is rampant these days, the World Government wants as many of them caught as possible."

Lina cocked her head at the mention of a World Government. Just what was going on here? Nothing about this place added up. She scowled. This was all Xellos' fault. He would know what was going on.

"Well thanks for uh... answering my questions." Lina said nervously, "I think we'll need to be going now."

"Keep outta trouble." The base commander helpfully suggested as Lina closed the door behind her.

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><p>...<p>

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><p>"Oh man... where the hell are we?" Lina moaned as soon as she and Gourry were out of earshot of the base. "We need to find Xellos and squeeze out of him exactly what is going on here!"<p>

"So... where do you think he would be?"

"Now that you bring it up, that's actually the problem. That joker just shows up whenever and wherever he wants. No point going out to look for him after that fight, he'll be there if he has something to say."

Lina breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted the purple-haired priest at the docks, chatting with Amelia, Luke and Milina while they waited.

"Oh, Lina!" Xellos waved as Lina landed and released Gourry beside him. "I noticed there was some trouble by the docks but you took care of it as expected."

"Xellos! How nice to see you again!" Lina said, clasping her hands together in mock politeness. Before the Mazoku could reply, she pounced, her fist finding a home buried in the back of his head. Milina stared wide-eyed and covered her mouth as Lina continued her assault, trapping the priest in a brutal headlock.

"This is all your fault you crazy priest!" Lina snarled into his ear. "When are you going to start helping us for a change instead of leading us into trouble all the time!?"

"But it's not my fault!" Xellos managed to choke out. "I didn't anticipate that this would happen. That's the truth, basically."

Lina loosened her grip, the initial adrenaline rush subsiding. "Just what are you playing at here Xellos, we don't have time for your games!"

"No really, I'm just as lost as you are." Xellos pulled himself free, holding up his hands in a placating gesture and putting up a convincing mask of fear. "But from what I can tell, the Temple of Chronos seems to have sent us into another world entirely. You remember the visitors from Dark Star's world not too long ago right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, because their astral forms were left behind when they arrived, they could not be harmed by the black magic of our world. However they were also limited in some ways, which is why they needed Valgaav's help to acquire the Gorun Nova."

"So you're saying this is happening to you?!" Lina practically screamed, looking around to see if her companions were similarly awed. Gourry was as clueless as ever, but Lina could practically see the gears turning in Amelia's head, her expression gradually contorting to one of shock. Milina and Luke furrowed their brows, furiously processing all this new information.

"That is correct." Xellos said.

Lina's stomach grumbled. All the stress was getting to her.

"Well, that's a lot for us to think about. Who wants to do it over dinner?" She suggested.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Are you sure we don't have to pay for this? I mean I just gave that wolf guy to the Marines." Lina mumbled over a mouthful of spaghetti and beef. Normally she'd have taken a free meal without question, but she had yet to develop an attachment to the colorful notes she got from the commander.<p>

"Don't worry about it!" Hanji's mother smiled as she removed the empty plates. "You saved our town!"

"Big sis, you're really strong!" Hanji said happily.

"Of course! I'm unbeatable!" Lina basked in the praise and crammed another piece of fish into her mouth.

"I don't get how a flat-chested, wishy-washy waif like you can eat more than me." Luke protested under his breath.

"Who're you calling flat-chested?!"

"Hey Lina, I was thinking..." Gourry interrupted the argument.

"You were thinking? Hey, that's a new one." Lina replied sarcastically, "And what were you thinking about?"

"Weren't we supposed to meet Zelgadis at some other restaurant?"

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"With piracy this common, this world is a pretty dangerous place. We were fortunate to land in the most peaceful of the seas." Zelgadis looked around as he finished, his dignified expression betraying his pride at having contributed so much. To his dismay, only Milina and Xellos appeared to have paid attention, while each of the others competed to eat more than the last. Hanji laughed as Lina and Amelia gave some muffled responses through their mouthfuls of food.<p>

"Are you even listening to me!?" Zelgadis cried, slamming his hands down on the table.

"I heard it." Lina reassured him as she washed down her food with a gulp of water. She paused before reaching for another bite, pondering the implications. The inhabitants of this region had no knowledge of magic, but Zelgadis had described objects called 'Devil Fruits', which, if eaten, would grant the user access to similar powers, at the cost of their ability to swim. Lina resolved to get her hands on one of these fruits. If the magic behind its enchantment could be reverse engineered, it would be far more valuable than than any old pile of money.

"So uh Zel, how long were you waiting before Amelia found you?" Lina asked awkwardly.

"Two hours." Was his terse reply.

The distant thunder of cannons echoed from the north, interrupting their meal. A column of black smoke rose from the Marine base, its shadow stretched long across the town by the light of the setting sun.

"Twice in one day?" Lina groused, standing up from her seat. "And this one sounds pretty serious too."

"Are you leaving?" Hanji asked, voice quivering.

"Don't you worry Hanji, I'm unbeatable." Lina winked. She ran a hand through the girl's hair to reassure her. "And thanks for the food."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Well, you don't see something like this every day." Lina scratched a cheek as she hovered at a safe height stared at the sight before her.<p>

A trail of flattened trees, beginning at the island's uninhabited northern shore and looping around the central mountain, marked the passage of a gargantuan cephalopod. The creature glided through the Marine base, sweeping fortifications aside with a forest of writhing tentacles. The few remaining cannons Lina could see from the air continued to fire ineffectually, their projectiles pattering uselessly against its mottled purple skin.

"Damn!" Zelgadis cursed, "Those soldiers aren't going to last another minute like this."

"And then that monster will be free to rampage through the town!" Amelia cried indignantly. With a shriek of wind she willed her Raywing spell forward, zooming out of earshot before Lina could stop her.

"Val Flare!"

A roaring stream of fire was expelled from Amelia's upraised hands, condensing into the shape of a spear moments before impact. Flames poured over the octopus' body and Amelia struck a dramatic pose with her back to the blast, flashing the victory sign.

Victory celebrations were interrupted by a low hiss from the wounded beast, as it snatched up hunks of rubble with its twenty limbs, throwing up a veritable wall of debris into Amerlia's path. A chunk of masonry deflected off the surface of Amelia's Raywing globe, destabilizing it as another slammed into her head. Zelgadis dashed forward, catching the Saillune princess in his arms before she could hit the ground.

"I don't think this is going to work." Amelia pulled herself up unsteadily, rubbing a bright red bruise on her forehead.

"We've got its attention." Milina pointed at the advancing monster. "But we have to lead it away from the town."

"Let it chase us up the mountain!" Luke suggested.

"Alright!" Lina rolled up her sleeves, "And then I can really cut loose."

"Hey Lina, where'd Xellos go?" Gourry asked, "He was with us just a second ago."

Looking around, Lina could see no sign of the Mazoku. Worrying, but not the first priority at the moment.

With the plan set Milina and Luke sped forward, peppering the octopus with spells and deftly evading its retaliatory throws. In an instant the town was forgotten and the beast turned to pursue the two up the mountain slope. Zelgadis lifted Gourry into the air while he and Lina followed.

_"Source of all power, crimson fire burning bright. Gather in my hand and become an inferno!"_ Lina chanted, forming an orb of fire between her cupped hands. Orange flames intensified to a blueish white, shedding waves of shimmering heat like the desert sun.

"How do you like your octopus done Gourry?" Lina asked smugly.

"I don't know..." The swordsman scratched his forehead. "It's been so long since we've ordered any that I forgot how they tasted."

Lina sighed. "Give the signal Zelgadis." She commanded.

A light spell condensed to a single flash signaled that the attack was ready. Luke and Milina replied in kind before accelerating, putting distance between themselves and their pursuer.

"Take this! Burst Flare!"

The burning plasma sphere summoned by the spell raced downward, striking the monstrous cephalopod and engulfing it in a flood of white-hot flame. An explosion rippled outward, shattering trees and throwing bits of molten rock into the air. As the flames died down, the monster's blackened and crumbling body tumbled out of the smoke, coming to a rest at the base of the slope.

"Victory." Lina smirked as Luke and Milina rejoined the group.

"Don't celebrate too soon." Milina pointed at a number of blazes sparked by the spell, several of which began to grow and spread rapidly across the mountainside.

"Who would have thought that fire wasn't a good element to use here?" Luke jeered, unwilling to miss a chance to score some points.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"We are very grateful for your help in this matter and we will tell you anything we can." The Marine commander gave a salute. Though he tried his best to look sharp, his eye wandered up to the mountain, now marred by alternating patches of charred trees and glistening ice blocks.<p>

"How long has that floating island in the north been there?" Lina pushed straight to the point, "The monster's trail came from the same side so there's something very fishy going on."

The Marine commander nodded. "It arrived just days ago; we don't know where from. East Blue is the most peaceful sea and the Marine presence is not as strong as it is on the Grand Line, so if there are more of those things, we may have to order an evacuation of the town."

Lina smiled.

"Hey look, maybe I can help you out." She offered, "How much is it worth to you if I can get rid of that island."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Wow, I don't know how money 60 million Belis is but it sure sounds like a lot." Gourry said, shivering slightly in the cool mountain breeze. "Making money off of the lives of helpless villagers though. Only Lina would come up with such a sinister- err, I mean never mind." Gourry's mouth snapped shut with an audible clack of teeth, and he tried his best to avoid the venomous gaze that Lina was sending his way.<p>

"How do you plan to do it?" Milina asked, brushing some hair from her eyes as she gazed directly at the island.

"I can see more of those creatures in the masses water on the sides." Zelgadis reported, dropping down from a higher elevation with a spyglass in his hand.

"Well, no regrets. We aren't going to get paid if we just stand here." Lina raised her hands, forming a cross with her Demon's Blood Talismans.

_"Lords of the Darkness of the Four Worlds, on thy bonds I do swear. Grant me all the power that you possess!"_

Power surged through Lina's body, drawn across the nether from the four Demon Kings. The previously inert jewels now glowed bright red, coloring the surrounding area with their fell radiance. The power of a boosted Dragon Slave; with it, Lina could reduce an entire island to dust. Amelia and Zelgadis combed through their pockets and bags, producing pairs of shades that they donned to protect their eyes against the glare of the blast.

_"Power beyond the twilight and crimson blood that flows, buried in the stream of time is where your power grows."_

Milina whipped around, staring wide-eyed. "Isn't that the..."

_"I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed, in my unworthy hand. Dragon Slave!"_

The entire mountainside flashed red at the instant of the spell's completion, and a crimson missile, the power of Ruby Eye made manifest, was sent hurtling over the sea from Lina's outstretched hands. The Dragon Slave slammed into its target, bursting into a new sun that turned the night to day. Water was flashed to vapor, stone was reduced to ash, and the floating isle vanished into the blast, never to be seen again.

"It's gone." Milina said as she squinted at fading explosion.

"I hope Luke here will have a little more respect for me in the future." Lina crowed.

"Even if he doesn't, I know I will." A voice said from behind, accompanied by the scraping of steel on stone.

All eyes turned back to see the towering figure of a man standing behind the group. He was dressed in a gold-striped overcoat, with a wild mane of golden hair stretching down past his waist. Lina winced as she scanned his legs; both were crudely amputated below the knees, replaced by a pair of swords that gleamed in the afterglow of the explosion. She craned up to look at his face, and her eyes drifted to a steering wheel embedded in the man's balding head.

"W-who are you?" Amelia stopped staring just long enough to ask.

"I am the Golden Lion, Shiki." Was the answer. "A pirate."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> For those who haven't watched it, Golden Lion Shiki primarily features in the One Piece: Strong World movie, with some of his background detailed in Chapter 0. The real action starts next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3 - Clash

**Chapter 3: Clash**

**Strong World Arc**

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"I am the Golden Lion, Shiki. A pirate." The man said with his head held high, his eyes regarding each of Lina's companions in turn.<p>

"A-a pirate?!" Amelia jabbed an accusing finger at Shiki, "That means you're a villain who challenges righteousness and disturbs the world order! But it's not too late! End your evil ways at once, and become... an ally of justice!"

"Ji-hahahaha!" Shiki threw back his head and howled with laughter. "Justice?" He growled, expression changing suddenly to one of barely contained fury.

"What do you know about justice?" He stroked his bushy beard and glared at Amelia. "Can you touch it? How do you define it? To do what is just? Who decides what actions are just and which ones are the opposite?"

"Justice is just a myth." He pronounced. "When anyone can justify anything to themselves, the only justice that can exist in this world is the justice of the strong, isn't that right? It would be better if you realized this sooner rather than later."

Amelia gave no reply and so, somewhat mollified, Shiki shuffled to one side and sat down on a boulder.

"Now," he began, wagging a finger at his audience, "you've just destroyed something very valuable to me. But I'm not angry. No, I am not angry because nothing is more valuable to me than my crewmates. I don't know what you did there but I'm very impressed, especially at you, baby girl." He pointed at Lina, who tensed reflexively.

"An island can be replaced." Shiki continued, "But this, this is what changes the world!"

Standing back up to his full height, Shiki raised his hands to the sky. "Join me!" He exulted, "Join me and we will snatch the power from the weaklings who hold it now. Join me, and before the eyes of the world **_we will write our own justice!_**"

"That was it?" Lina let out a quiet cough and gave the others an incredulous look. "The pirate who lets monsters attack helpless towns wants me to join him for 'his justice'? Does anyone else get the idea that this is all just a bad joke?"

"Hrmmm." Shiki grunted. "You won't come easily eh? What do I need to give you to have you at my side, baby girl? Land? Treasure? Power?"

"Well you can start by not calling me 'baby girl'." Lina began. "And second, if you're a pirate, then you can let me have the bounty on your head! _Fireball!_"

The entire area around Shiki erupted into flame, but the pirate made no attempt to evade. "Jiihahaha!" He cackled, a shimmering silhouette at the center of the conflagration. "Well if you want a fight, let's see what you've got!"

"_Felzareid!_" Milina replied, a bright blue ray spiraling from her hands. Noticing the attack coming, Shiki took flight, only to be met by Luke in the air. The pirate raised a knee in response, clashing blade to blade with his opponent. Luke smirked as a boulder behind Shiki was split vertically and Gourry leapt out from the crack. His blade flashed a silver arc through the air and struck its mark.

"I have to admit," Shiki said, "you've got good teamwork there, blondie. You actually made me block with my hand."

Though Gourry's blade was now gripped in the pirate's hand, not even a trickle of blood flowed where the edge made contact with his palm. No, that wasn't it. There was a tiny gap visible between the pirate's palm and the blade of his sword, as if they were being held apart by some invisible force.

"But now that you've pushed me this far, don't expect me to go easy on you!" Shiki roared, flinging Luke away with a kick and turning to face Gourry. Forcing aside his opponent's weapon, Shiki slammed a massive clenched fist into Gourry's chest, sending the swordsman crashing to the ground.

Luke regained his bearings with a Levitation as Shiki turned back, kicking at him rapidly with his prosthetic swords, filling the air with a golden flurry of slicing wind blades. Cuts appeared on Luke's limbs and he reacted desperately to block, kept just barely alive by his combat-honed reflexes.

"_Rah-Tilt!_" Zelgadis unleashed his trump card from the air, and Shiki jerked back, swallowed by a column of ephemeral blue flames. Granted a reprieve, Luke dropped to the ground, panting and bleeding heavily. Milina rushed forward, pressing glowing hands against her partner's back.

Stumbling from the Rah Tilt's flames, Shiki struggled to stand, his face pale and and his breathing heavy - suffering from the effects of severe astral side damage. Amelia wasted no time, calling forth spheres of glowing white energy that shimmered around her balled fists.

"_Visfarank!_" She cried, drawing an arm back and throwing a haymaker at the pirate's chin.

Shiki gave a grunt of annoyance. He raised a hand, and a thick column of earth rose up around himself. Amelia's fist slammed into the barrier, cracking and cratering the stone but failing to penetrate.

"Everyone get back!" Lina ordered from above, having completed her incantation, a fully formed Dragon Slave burning furiously between her outstretched hands. "As long as he is in there, I can finish him off with this! _Dragon Slave!_"

The entire mountain shuddered as the spell collided with its target, blossoming into a hemisphere of terrible, radiant energy. Tremors tore through the ground, uprooting trees, crumbling cliffs and sending boulders tumbling down the slopes. At last the shaking subsided, and the residual glare faded from the cloud of dust thrown up by the blast.

Lina relaxed as she spotted her friends, huddled together under a shimmering barrier. She released her Raywing and touched down beside them, taking a moment to wipe away the beads of sweat gathering on her forehead.

"Was that guy really a human?" Lina gasped between breaths.

"I don't know, but we haven't even been here for a day." Luke replied, trying his best to put up a strong front, then falling onto his knees only a moment later. Milina's Recovery spell had taken a lot of stamina out of him.

"We're in for some hard times if there are even more people on that level." Zelgadis added.

The tremors renewed, and Lina frozen in place. She glanced down, and saw the pebbles at her feet beginning to tremble and dance, accompanied by a bone deep rumbling that caused her stomach to churn. Another earthquake.

"Amelia, get that barrier back up." She quickly ordered.

No, not another earthquake.

"_Menacing Lion - Winding Earth!_" Shiki's voice echoed from within the remnants of the explosion.

"W-what?! No way!" Lina stammered as the earth around her began to flow and surge like water; solid, yet flowing at the same time. With an ear-splitting crack the northern half of the island rose up, a rippling tsunami of dirt and stone that blotted out the sky, a crushing stone tide that pulverized everything in its way. The crest of the wave contorted, molding itself into a circle of titanic, roaring lion heads.

"Everyone run for it!" Lina cried as she reactivated her Raywing, weaving to avoid the earthen onslaught. To her surprise, the stone constructs avoided contact, forming a hole for her to escape through even as they assaulted her friends. Lina turned back in desperation but the earth compacted together, forming an airtight dome to cut her off. Then with a dull roar, the earthen hemisphere contracted, twisting into a helical spire that stabbed into the heavens. The faces of the others emerged from its surface, unconscious and bloody, while a colossal mass of stone emerged from the tip of the column, poised to crush everyone if it fell.

"Gourry! Guys!" Lina cried in horror, collapsing to her knees, as the clank of metal on stone behind her signaled the Golden Lion's return. The pirate's gait was halting and stiff, and his eyes were glazed and unfocused. His bushy golden hair had been blackened by the blast and his clothing was tattered and scorched. A massive burn wound on his now exposed chest oozed blood and pus, but the same hideous grin still adorned his face.

The remaining smoke cleared away from the mountainside, revealing that much of the mass near the peak had been shifted downward, shielding Shiki from the full force of the blast. Though the Dragon Slave had reduced the slope to a hellish crater of charred rock, the Golden Lion had endured the indirect hit.

"I think you fully understand the situation at hand, baby girl." Shiki said. "Now you see the truth of my words. It's always so unfortunate when it has to come to this."

A long pause followed before Lina could bring herself to respond. "Don't hurt them anymore." She said, her voice little more than a hoarse whisper.

"Uh-uh." Shiki wagged a finger disapprovingly. "When you join a crew, it's because you want something from the captain right?"

Lina's heart sank as she realized what she had to do, and she fought down the ensuing wave of emotion.

"And my friends?" She demanded.

"I value my crewmates more than anything else in the world." Shiki answered solemnly, "The friends of my crewmate are friends of mine as well. Of course, they would be welcome."

Lina's mind flashed to the town, to the people there who had been the first to help her in this strange land.

"And if I join you will you stop the monster attacks?" She gestured in the direction of the village, now visible from the northern slope following the rearrangement of the island's terrain.

"But of course! If that's what you want, then I won't lay a finger on them." Shiki replied unhesitatingly.

"Then..." Lina swallowed the lump in her throat. It was a very bitter pill. She would submit. _For now._

Lina opened her mouth to speak. Shiki crouched down, bringing his face close to hers, the better to hear her decision. His sick grin stretched wider.

"Let me be a part of your crew."


	4. Chapter 4 - Justice

**Chapter 4: Justice**

**Strong World Arc**

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina leaned against a window of the common room, staring idly at the islands drifting by. Some sported lush jungles, while others were dominated by scorching deserts. Forests whose leaves reddened with the onset of fall lay beside fields whose flowers bloomed in vivacious splendor to welcome the coming of spring. A snow-capped mountain range crowned the central landmass. Nearly every conceivable climate, hovering side by side. The Golden Lion's throne: Merveille.<p>

The constant roar of the waterfall, pouring down just outside, had prevented her from getting much sleep during their first night as the 'newest members of the Golden Lion Pirates'. When she complained, Shiki had moved the topographical feature elsewhere without any complaint. Though Lina had little doubt that this veneer of camaraderie was concealing some vile ulterior motive, she could rest knowing that he appeared to not be harboring ideas of immediate betrayal.

Crossing her arms and shutting her eyes, Lina replayed the events of last night's battle in her mind. Their opponent was strong; inhumanly strong, and with enough skill to match Gourry and Luke - who was no slouch himself - in close combat despite. With just a bare hand, he had blocked Gourry's blade, and with his prosthetics, he could launch a flurry of attacks on level with a Bram Gash. He could move mountains, islands; Lina looked again at the array of landmasses drifting by. Wasn't this his doing as well? And with no sign of strain at all. Just how many abilities did one Devil Fruit grant? And what was the source of their power?

_Luke was right,_ Lina thought, _If this is the level of opponent we can expect to face, we're in for some tough times ahead._

"And when that numbskull is right about something," she said to herself, "I feel even worse."

"How could you Miss Lina?! How could you?!" Amelia exploded into the room, interrupting Lina's thoughts, her face contorting with a mixture of anguish and rage. "Agreeing to work under a villain! Now I'm working under a villain!"

Ah, she had woken up. Amelia's injuries had been the most severe, and healing them all with Recovery should have drained a lot of her stamina. It was touch and go a few times.

Ignoring the provocation, Lina smiled inwardly, relieved Amelia was alright.

"I think Amelia is in real trouble." Gourry pointed out, stepping in after her. He gestured toward the Saillune princess, who was now slumped against a wall, clutching her head and moaning to herself. Zelgadis followed, sheathing his sword with a metallic clink.

The chimera sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think Lina did the right thing back there. We're not going to do anyone any good if that pirate had killed us. This way we may still have a chance."

Lina looked up expectantly as Luke and Milina returned to the manse that the six of them shared, closing the room's door behind them. Luke put up his hands and waved, signalling a negative.

"There is no land in sight, other than... this display." Milina clarified, waving a hand at nearly a dozen other islands floating outside.

"Then we have no choice but to stay here for the time being." Lina concluded.

The moment of silence was broken by the sound of music filtering in from outside. The group rushed to investigate, noticing that a white sheet had been raised over the palace entrance. Shiki's silhouette appeared behind it, along with those of his two closest partners. To Shiki's left stood Dr. Indigo, the crew's head researcher, a pot-bellied clown wearing a long, trailing lab coat over a pair of dark blue overalls. To the right was Scarlet, a large pink-furred gorilla who towered over even his captain. The three began a rather odd dance as they made their way down the stairs past the swimming pool in the largest chamber, snapping their fingers and bobbing their heads. Lina simply stood to the side, staring, perplexed, while Amelia pushed to the front of the group.

"What evil plot have you villains been concocting?" She accused, jabbing a finger at the trio.

"Huh?" Shiki looked puzzled. His destroyed clothing had been replaced after the battle, but his burnt hair could not be repaired. Layered bandages were visible over the top of his black robe.

"You three are celebrating the success of an evil plot!" Amelia denounced again.

"Is that any way for a crewmate to speak to her captain?" Shiki shrugged, then smiled and winked, "Though if you're eager, we can move faster."

The villainous trio struck a pose as Amelia sunk to the ground.

"Lord Shiki!" A formally dressed man shouted as he stepped into the chamber. Lina squinted as sunlight reflected off the man's metal faceplate directly into her eyes. "The other captains have-"

The subordinate captain was interrupted as Scarlet gestured with one massive paw in Milina's direction, beating his chest, grunting and puckering his lips.

"She's way outta your league you perverted ape!" Dr. Indigo slapped the Scarlet hard across the face. The gorilla stumbled, tipping into the new arrival, knocking him directly into the pool. The man immediately started, apparently unable to swim.

"Hey hey," Shiki demanded of the drowning man, "If you have something to say to me then hurry up."

"No you idiot! He can't swim!" Dr. Indigo slapped Shiki as well, while gesturing at Scarlet to do something. Lina raised an eyebrow as the gorilla pulled the drowning man from the pool. Was this what happened when a Devil Fruit user was immersed? A pretty risky proposition.

"Jihahaha, well if you're eager to stretch your legs a bit," Shiki swept his eyes over Lina's companions, tenderly rubbing his cheek where Indigo's hand had made contact, "We'll have some action tomorrow."

The repeated sound of flatulence accompanied Dr. Indigo's footsteps as Shiki lead his subordinates out.

"Can't you do a damn thing about that abominable noise Indigo!?" Shiki could be heard demanding from the other side of the closed door.

Lina glanced over at Luke, who looked as if he was reigning in some outburst, waiting until the pirates were out of earshot.

"Were we really beaten by these guys!?" He wailed.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>That night, the band of water surrounding the central isle was crowded with ships. Allies and subdivisions of the Golden Lion Pirates had been summoned to Merveille in droves, congregating in bars and mess halls to socialize with their peers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, security was nonexistent; many of the crews present had never seen one another before and it was simply taken for granted that no one present could have made it to Merveille without the Golden Lion's direct assistance. An uninvited guest had found it quite easy to slip in.<p>

"That's right!" One drunk pirate shouted. "Seems like Lord Shiki's picked up some new rookies."

"I heard they're crazy strong!" Another added. "The plan's moving ahead, we don't need to fool around in the weakest sea anymore."

"Oh, please, do tell." Xellos entreated. Laying his staff on the ground, the trickster priest politely refused an offer of drink and sat down to listen.

"Well, we haven't got much more than some rumors..." A pirate captain scratched his head before gulping down another mouthful. "But there's going to be a demonstration tomorrow."

"That's what I heard." Another pirate captain added. "And don't think you can come to the meeting in that... outfit. You're going to have to wear something formal."

"A dress code? Well, I understand." Xellos nodded. "I've only recently arrived and I'm afraid it is taking me an awfully long time to remember the rules."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Alright, today's the day!" Shiki announced, entering Lina's chambers alone. "We have entered the Grand Line, and we are going to demonstrate your power on some fools who dared to defy me. This will be our warning to the World Government. Once they see your power, they will have no choice but to surrender to me!"<p>

"Attacking innocents is out of the question!" Amelia interjected. "We may be caught in your trap but justice will triumph in the end. Though we may be imprisoned for now, some day a hero will arrive and end your evil schemes."

Lina sighed inwardly and stepped back. Better to let Amelia get everything off her chest.

Shiki's grin stretched wide as Amelia finished her speech. He strode closer, the tips of his prosthetics clanging against the marble tiled floor.

"Your friends all got the message but it looks like we have a slow learner here." Shiki stopped down and brought his face close to Amelia's. "How about a direct demonstration? See with your own eyes just what justice is."

"The island we've arrived at hosts a slave auction." He declared knowingly, pointing a finger at the floor. He paused to let the impact of that settle in before continuing. "And it is sponsored by none other than the government and Marines themselves."

"You're lying!" Amelia countered. "The Marines are the righteous protectors of the innocent, especially from villains like you."

"Villain? I'm hurt." Shiki replied sarcastically. "Compared to the true scum of this world, we 'villains' look positively pure by comparison. They talk about their 'era of peace', but it's because of vermin like them that the world's so screwed up."

Shiki grinned. "If you don't believe me, I'll give you a ship, and you can go have a look yourself."

Lina furrowed her brows. Any way she looked at it, Shiki probably wouldn't lie about such easily verifiable information. Which meant if they didn't go, they'd be allowing this den of misery to live on.

Sketchy records immediately following the War of Resurrection spoke of the practice of slavery, but for most of the era afterwards it had been universally abolished by every nation on the Saillune Peninsula. Lina grimaced at the thought, and she could tell from a glance that her companions felt similarly.

Shiki pushed himself from the floor with a grunt, standing back up to his full height and casting his shadow over Lina's companions.

"Go on!" He roared. "See for yourself what atrocities the so-called purveyors of law and justice turn a blind eye to. I'll have my captains Dozle and Tomie follow to ensure your safety."

_More like ensure that we don't escape,_ Lina thought. In either case, even if they tried, the Merveille islands were hovering overhead; Raywing was too draining for long distance flight, they wouldn't get far. Lina resolved to make no half-hearted escape attempts, if it failed then Shiki might not give them another chance. It had to be all or nothing.

"What will do baby girl?" Shiki continued, "Kill the culprits and take their treasure? Free the slaves from their shackles? Wipe this stain from the sea with your dragon... thing? Anything you take will be yours and anything you want to do to them I'll allow. Show the world what your justice is!"

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>The masked man who had almost drowned in the pool just a day ago was already waiting on the ship Shiki gave. Now dressed in a loose-fitting robe, with baggy pants almost covering a pair of combat boots, he introduced himself as Dozle and gave Lina's companions a toothy grin. Three large metal contraptions were strapped to his back, presumably weapons of some sort, since they were expecting resistance from the slavers.<p>

A short, heavyset woman, presumed to be Tomie, arrived late to the dock. Unlike Dozle, she was recalcitrant and said nothing. Lina's eyes were immediately drawn to the word "Love", tattooed in large letters on her forehead. She brandished an unusual weapon as well, a massive metal pipe that caused the deck to creak under its weight.

"We're ready to go Lord Shiki!" Dozle turned to a corner and announced. Lina craned her head to see who he was speaking to and blanched when she noticed the enormous snail sitting on a crate there, its spiraling shell as large as a person's head.

"Ahhh!" Lina shrieked, jumping into Gourry's arms when the snail spoke back with Shiki's voice, made even more unnerving by the smug grin that it wore on its slimy face.

"Alright! Off you go!" The snail announced as the ship lurched and rose over the water's surface. It soared over the outer edge of the island, passing over the water's edge, then plunged down into the clouds below.. Now was Gourry's turn to be frightened, as the only member of the party who couldn't fly if something went wrong. With a whimper, he latched onto Lina's arm for safety.

The rate of descent slowed as the last cloud layer flew past, and Gourry let out a breath that he had been holding. On the placid sea below, a ring-shaped island came into view; a band of cliffs surrounding a bay. A dozen ships were anchored within the walls, mostly pirates or mercenaries from appearances, but there were a few civilian vessels sitting beside them as well. Their own ship drifted forward, aiming for the center of the ring.

In a world of sailing ships, the ability to maintain this sort of aerial fleet was definitely a huge advantage.

Lina sighed and massaged her temples. Guys like this were always pursuing something ridiculous and pointless, like world domination. And now she and her friends were caught up in it.

"Hey uh... are those your weapons?" Gourry struck up conversation with Dozle with not a hint of animosity in his voice. He pointed at the three objects that hung from the pirate's back.

"Oh, these?" Dozle replied, pulling one great slab of metal from his back. With a flick of the wrist the device unfolded and extended, forming an enormous cleaver sixteen feet long. "Do you like them?" He asked, tapping the other two, "I wish we'd fall a little faster. I can't wait!"

Lina raised an eyebrow at Dozle's display, using this chance to take stock of Shiki's assets. The pirate's weapons were way oversized and obviously very unwieldy; if it came to a fight, she was sure he wouldn't be able to compete with Gourry's speed. Of course, there was still the incident with the pool, meaning he still had a Devil Fruit power to fall back on.

Lina glanced over at Tomie. The corpulent woman had leaned against a corner and remained silent this entire time.

"We're here." Milina announced tonelessly. Walls of stone rose up around the ship and its hull slammed into the ocean surface with a thunderous crack. A wave raised by the impact crashed into the sides of the inlet where a rickety walkway provided footing for disembarking passengers. A single cave, strung with electric lighting and hastily decorated with some carpets and drapings, lead to unseen chambers within the earthen walls.

Dozle removed a second weapon and extended it with a shake. Already, a clamor was being raised from the docked ships in response to their sudden arrival.

"Lord Shiki said you're in charge of this." He grinned, "What do you want us to do?"

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina dove into cover as sharp cracks of gunfire echoed across the inlet. Lead balls embedded themselves into the deck and masts, filling the air with wood fragments. She would prepare a Windy Shield and-<p>

"Fireball!" Zelgadis called. From the corner of her eye, Lina could see that a ship had been immolated, its passengers leaping into the water like terrified rats. A moment later the flames consumed the ship's ammunition stores, cracking the vessel in half in a cataclysmic blast.

"Sorry, but weapons like that won't even scratch me." Zelgadis said.

"Go Zel!" Lina gave him an approving thumbs up. For all the hate Zelgadis professed to hold for his chimerism, it has saved his life countless times during their various adventures.

"Damn, we need to get closer." Dozle said, oversized cleavers raised over his body like shields. Tomie had done likewise, deflecting the fusillade with her strange pipe weapon. Several pirate ships pulled up anchors and deployed oars. If they were permitted to turn, they would be able to bring their broadside cannons to bear.

"I can handle that." Lina thrust her hands forward, launching a sphere of compressed air right into their ship's sails. The mast creaked as the sails expanded to their limits, dragging the ship forward.

"Try not to use any fire this time!" Luke pointed an accusing finger at Lina, drawing his sword and preparing to board. "You're going to get us killed if another one of those ships lights up."

"Hey! Don't act like that time on the mountain was all my fault!" Lina gave Luke a venomous glare.

"What're you talking about? It was all your fault!" Luke shot back with a look of equal malice.

"How about the two of you put things off until later." Milina said under her breath, shaking her head in annoyance. "Use ice spells to seal off the cannons."

With a whooping war cry Dozle leapt onto an adjacent ship, hewing through foes with his enormous cleavers. Tomie boarded another, swinging her metal pipe like a bludgeon.

"So Lina, should we be going too?" Gourry asked hesitantly.

"Well of course!" Lina replied, "There are crooks who need to be punished later," she pointed upward, "and those that need punishing now."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Lord Shiki!" Dr. Indigo shouted as he stumbled into the Golden Lion's throne room, the noise emitted by his shoes causing his captain to wince with every step. The scientist began to gesticulate wildly, punching the air and waving his arms.<p>

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Shiki barked impatiently.

"Rogan's ship just arrived!" Dr. Indigo said, "I think you should listen to what they're saying!"

"So you can talk after all?!" Shiki exclaimed with a dumbfounded expression.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"You had better have a good explanation for being late." Shiki hissed and drew a gun. Of the thirty two original members of Rogan's crew, eighteen dazed survivors now stumbled back onto land. Their once proud ship was now marred by burns and one of its masts had been cut, having crushed the bow when it fell. Had the ship not been airborne during its entire journey it would likely have been sunk by one of the many dangers on the blue sea.<p>

"Our deepest apologies Lord Shiki." The captain pleaded, "We heard the ringing of a bell in the sky and decided to investigate. But-"

"A Sky Island?" Shiki growled, idly scratching his beard, "You were beaten by the inhabitants of a Sky Island?"

"Y-yes we were Lord Shiki." The captain stammered. "We found the source of the noise, a golden bell. I ordered the men to take it and we were attacked then. The weapons their fighters used, we couldn't beat them with just our crew."

"So you came back empty-handed." Shiki's rumbled.

"W-wait Lord Shiki!" The captain lowered his head to the ground. "We couldn't take the gold but we brought back some information about them! We took a good look at the bell before we retreated. There was definitely a Poneglyph embedded in its side!"

An ominous grin stretched across Shiki's face. Over two decades ago, Gol D. Roger had allegedly discovered the location of some sort of ancient weapon by studying these artifacts. Shiki had offered him an alliance then, leading to the battle known as the Edd War.

A surge of elation filled the Golden Lion. Though the Pirate King had dealt him a devastating defeat then, it was he who would witness the coming of a new era. A new era that he would bring into fruition.

Shiki roared with laughter at his recent strokes of good luck. "Good work Rogan." He congratulated, prompting the dazed and cowering captain to look up. "We'll leave as soon as possible. Let's finish this demonstration."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina turned from the battle as the communication snail suddenly called out, emitting a constant, repetitive buzzing sound. It was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Most of the slavers had been disposed of, and layers of ice now coated the portholes and rudders of the enemy ships, reducing them to useless drifting hulks. The will to fight had all but evaporated from the last few holdouts.<p>

"You have to pick the Communicator Snail up!" Dozle called back, "Lord Shiki has a message for us."

Lina's face blanched at the prospect of getting any closer to that disgusting creature, no matter how useful it was. "You do it Amelia." She suggested.

"Buu~t..." Amelia hesitated, "What should I say?"

"You don't have to say anything, just pick it up." Lina barked.

"Like this?" Amelia lifted the entire snail off the barrel it was resting on. The creature continued to buzz.

"No, you probably have to take that thing off its back." Lina pointed, wincing and averting her eyes from the disgusting mollusc.

"Uah?!" The snail blurted out immediately in Shiki's voice as its receiver was removed, "Was there a problem? Well anyway, hurry it up down there! We have things that need doing."

"Looks like I'm going to have to cut loose!" Dozle roared upon hearing the order. His hair began to move of its own accord, lengthening a forest of brown tendrils that surged across the deck. Spear-tipped conglomerations of hair shot out, impaling the fleeing pirates and dumping their bodies into the sea. So that was it.

Lina looked over at Tomie, who had plunged one end her pipe into the side of a ship. She inhaled through the other, and the deck splintered and compressed, drawn into the pipe by her incredible lung power.

Taking aim at a pirate vessel attempting to escape the bay, Tomie blew out, and in a blur of motion the ship was shattered by her recycled missile. Lina narrowed her eyes. The projectile, still intact despite the force of the collision, was composed of the the wood scraps ripped from Tomie's platform, held together in a single solid mass by thick strands of webbing.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>The braggart within Lina wanted to say that the subduing of the remaining slavers was a dramatic affair, a harrowing battle that would be told for generations to come. But that would have been a lie. The slavers within the hollow cliffs put up about as much resistance as a wet noodle. Lina herself had stood back, allowing Shiki's two crewmates to do most of the work.<p>

Screams echoed from deeper within as Dozle disposed of the remaining guards with his animate hair. For her part, Tomie had lost what little enthusiasm she had for this trip and had vanished into the hold of one of the ships outside.

Lina made a face as she walked through the auction room, stepping gingerly around the maimed bodies of the guards. A pedestal at the center was presumably where slaves were stood, like livestock, for the bidders to inspect. A doorframe at the back lead to a hallway further in. Lina generated a Light spell and stepped over the smashed remains of the door.

"Is this what the World Government allows?" Milina was the first to speak as they stared down the dank hallway. Rows of cages lined one wall, each filled with one or more shackled prisoners. Some begged pitifully for release, others were so shattered that they just stared blankly, not even knowing what freedom was anymore. Some were just children. Sitting at the other end of the corridor, Dozle nodded his head.

"Uahh?!" Amelia cried, "So even the government is filled with bad guys?"

With a click, one of the cage locks released itself and fell off.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Lina encouraged. "I know they don't teach you this spell at the sorcerer's guild, but it's really pretty simple. Let's get going!"

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Leave them and take the ships." Tomie said, her voice a harsh buzz that grated on Lina's ears. These were the first words she spoke during the entire venture and this was what she chose to spend them on.<p>

"We can't just leave them here!" Dozle roared. "They'll be recaptured!"

"Not our problem." Tomie droned.

The iron-masked pirate looked at Lina and her companions with pleading, almost piteous eyes. Yes, Shiki had said that Lina was in charge of the operation.

"Hmm, looks like pirates hang around all sorts of people." Lina said with a smile. Behind her, a throng of former slaves followed, waiting for her response.

"Give them the least damaged ships." She ordered. "And have Shiki take us up, but not all the way; there's one last thing I want to do here."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"I think they should be far enough." Zelgadis said, leaning over the railing their ship. He took a moment to wipe away water droplets deposited on his binoculars by some passing clouds. A pair of mismatched civilian vessels were visible in the distance, points of brown on the sapphire sea.<p>

"Do it Miss Lina!" Amelia shouted, hands balled into fists. "Strike them down with the power of justice!"

"Alright!" Lina announced, pointing her hands downward. Dozle watched, open-mouthed as Lina spoke the words and gathered her power. Even Tomie could not help but stare, eyes wide.

"Dragon Slave!"

With a volcanic thunder the ring-shaped island was swallowed by the resulting blast. Lina watched as a vapor dome expanded upward and fell, leaving only the smooth ocean surface where an island once was. The communication snail roared with Shiki's coarse laughter.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>The next morning Shiki returned again to Lina's residence, with a rolled up paper clutched in one hand.<p>

"Have you had a look at this yet, baby girl?" Shiki threw down the morning's newspaper. Lina reluctantly peeled her eyes off the steering wheel attached to her visitor's head and looked down at the front page. Her thoughts were tossed aside when she noticed the headline article, detailing the events of the previous day. The attack on an 'employment office', the destruction of the island and a sizeable bounty for the "newest recruit of the Golden Lion Pirates".

'Pink Sorceress' Lina Inverse: 65,000,000 Belis

"Wait a minute!" Lina turned to Shiki, "You had us do that to get me a bounty?!"

"Baby girl," Shiki reassured, "I told you to do whatever you wanted, and you did. That's all. You showed them your justice, and this is what the World Government does. That's why you're a member of my crew."

Shiki's clanking footsteps faded into the distance, leaving Lina standing alone, quivering with rage. She'd been maneuvered into a difficult decision, and she had played into Shiki's hand.

A thought occurred to her then. It was even possible that Shiki had spread the information himself. The Marines were able to recognize a six million bounty on sight; how far would they go to capture one almost eleven times as large? Lina realized then that Merveille had become both a cage and a shelter.

Simmering thoughts of rebellion bubbled again to the surface. The longer they stayed, the more the opportunities the Golden Lion would have to cement their ties. But fighting against him on his home terrain was a great risk. Dozle and Tomie had shown their stuff; their skills were pretty unusual, but undeniably effective. Who knew how many other fighters Shiki could call up and whether he would be forgiving enough to spare them a second time.

The initial storm of rage subsided, and Lina found herself stifling a laugh at her own misfortune. Even when she was thrown into another world, her bad reputation was stuck to her like glue.

"Oh my, you seem to have gotten into quite a lot of trouble this time Lina!" A voice teased. "But, if it's not too much of a bother of course, I could lend you a hand."

"Xellos!" Lina snarled through clenched teeth. Behind her the Mazoku priest stood, smiling brightly. "Where were you before we ended up here?! What were you doing when we all fought that steering-wheel freak?!"

"Oh, come now Lina." Xellos replied. "Let us not dwell on the sad past. From what I have gathered, it seems Captain Shiki is planning some sort of invasion soon. Within a few days, definitely. Don't you think that would be a good time to break free?"

"Yeah, but that guy beat all of us." Lina said. "Now we know his powers but..."

"But his wounds on him during your last battle have yet to heal." Xellos pointed out. "And just as a precaution, I have a spell to teach you. A gift, if you will, to apologize for my regrettable absence."

"Oh," Xellos added, raising a finger to his lips. "And as for me being here, I'm sure you can understand why that is a secret."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Hehe, you win." Dozle said, touching a finger to a mark etched onto his faceplate. It was still hot. He folded his cleavers and Gourry sheathed his sword.<p>

"You're pretty good with those things even though they're so big." Gourry complemented.

"You move fast." Dozle replied, "I think you could have ended it sooner."

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Gourry began, "Lina and Amelia are always saying how all pirates are really bad people. But you're not such a bad guy, I think."

"I mean if you hadn't argued for those poor people down there, who knows what Lina would've done." He joked.


	5. Chapter 5 - All In

**Chapter 5: All In**

**Strong World Arc**

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"What do you mean 'evolution'." Zelgadis asked. He ran his eyes over a row of flasks, each filled with a lime green liquid.<p>

"Oh, well since you're a part of the crew I guess I can tell you my secret." Dr. Indigo said. "When I discovered it, this island had lots of evolved species of plants and animals. And this is all thanks to a plant called IQ. The plant stimulates their brain and makes them adapt to their environment."

Holding a flask of liquid up to the light, Dr. Indigo continued, "And after years of research, we were able to extract a drug from the IQ plants. I call it Serum IQ, or SIQ! So it's simple really. So we have hunters go out and inject animals with the serum and it makes them even stronger and more aggressive! That's why this place is swarming with these creatures!"

"So that's what that giant octopus was." Zelgadis mused, "Interesting. What effect does this drug have on humans?"

"No effect! It doesn't do anything to humans." The scientist shrugged.

"Oh well, then I guess it doesn't really have anything to do with me." Zelgadis turned to leave.

"Sorry to disappoint you!" Dr. Indigo waved after him.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Shiki raised a hand to cover a yawn and half-heartedly watched the monitor before him. He didn't really believe that the sky islanders would be able to stand up to his pirate armada, but discretion was the better part of valor. Three sacrificial ships, each bearing the flag of the Golden Lion Pirates, had been sent out to provoke the Sky Island's defenders. Once battle was joined, a Visual Communicator Snail placed on each ship would record the battle. Merveille itself hovered just beneath the cloud layers, close enough to receive the images. Shiki noted the presence of a Marine base to the east; G-8 if he was remembering correctly. Though they were in no position to make any sort of move now, he would have to act quickly. There could be trouble if they called in reinforcements from Marineford.<p>

A landmass was visible on the display screen, floating on the white cloud sea. While Seastone could form sea or even island clouds when ejected into the upper atmosphere and mixed with water vapor, such formations supported little plant life. Thus, soil was a precious commodity in the sky and it was no wonder the natives defended this island so fiercely. Shiki smiled at the irony; his Float-Float Fruit could raise land into the sky whenever he pleased.

The image shook as the transmitting snail was rattled by cannonfire. A group of men approached from the direction of the island, gliding on the surface of the white sea. Weaving between a barrage of cannonballs, the leader of the attackers launched himself into the air and hefted a cannon over his shoulder. A torrent of blue flame poured from the weapon's barrel, and the transmission from the leading ship was cut.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina fidgeted in her allotted space as she looked around. Every other pirate present at Shiki's war council was dressed in matching dark suits that starkly contrasted with her colorful adventuring garb. Nonetheless, Shiki had allowed her to come dressed as she was. He even gave permission for Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis to sit at the center with the captains rather than stand at the side as subordinates traditionally did.<p>

"An exception for your first official meeting." Shiki had said. Lina resolved to make it their last.

The topic of the meeting was the pending invasion of the sky island. Shiki related some experiences with sky islands in the past, whose inhabitants used special shells called dials to imitate the blue sea's technology. This particular island displayed a great variety of weaponry, as if it had been embroiled in conflict for generations.

"Your help won't be needed, baby girl." Shiki addressed Lina, "I want that island captured. Even better if we can use their dials to strengthen our own forces."

"I want to go anyway." Lina replied, "Your islands are all well and good, but I'm getting bored just sitting around here all the time. If you want that one so much, I won't use the Dragon Slave."

Shiki gave a satisfied grunt before scanning over Lina's group again.

"The other two didn't want to come?" He asked.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Luke quizzically regarded the opaque cloud layer above him and pressed the edge of his Raywing sphere against it. The edge of the cloud yielded rather than dispersing. It was a liquid, not quite water, but not exactly a normal cloud either.<p>

"Don't get distracted. Our success is crucial." Milina chided from beside him. She maneuvered herself closer, pressing her own wind globe against his. The howl of rushing wind rose and died down as the two spells merged and Milina relinquished control. With a moment's concentration Luke directed the spell up and plunged in.

The interior of the cloud was a different world. The two of them could see strange beasts swimming through the mist; flattened fish with scales like feathers, cephalopods resembling serenely drifting balloons and a colossal lamprey that could swallow a man whole. Beads of sweat rolled down Luke's forehead; as expected, forcing the spell to plow through this strange cloud took almost as much effort as moving through water.

At last the Raywing bubble burst through the mist, expanding slightly as it touched open air. Clouds stretched as far as the eye could see, rolling languidly by like waves on a tranquil seashore. The landmass that the natives had attacked from was nowhere to be seen.

"There are too many clouds." Luke gasped. "How the hell is this possible?"

"An ocean in the sky?" Milina said, her voice betraying the slightest hint of amazement. She glanced at another cloud layer above them. "It seems we're still in the middle of the cloud." She suggested. "The recording of the battle showed a clear sky."

Luke stared into the distance as Milina spoke. Enough light filtered into this realm to suffuse it with a dull, uniform radiance, broken by a single bright pinpoint in the distance. Maybe it was the way up, or at least something to stand on; another plunge through a cloud sea would exhaust them both.

"I'll take control." Milina offered, having followed Luke's gaze. Milina began to direct the spell forward and Luke allowed his concentration to lapse.

The irregular speck in distance rapidly grew into a shaft of light as the two approached. Its origin, a gaping hole in the cloud ceiling, and beyond it, the soft blue of the open sky.

"Are you tired Milina?" Luke turned to his partner, the vague aches of magic capacity exhaustion already dying down. "If you are, I can take us up."

"You should be more concerned about yourself." Milina replied, "But if we're traveling through open air, we can make do with Levitation."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"So what about all these monsters you're raising?" Lina asked, "Are you going to use them too?"<p>

"Of course!" Shiki replied, "They're all part of my plan for taking over the world. My men are already out there, gathering the animals onto one island. Then I can simply drop the them beside the sky islanders, inject them with the serum and let them rip the place apart! We don't need to do anything more than secure the poneglyph."

Sitting behind Lina, Amelia began to tremble visibly.

"And what's more!" Dr. Indigo stood up, "Without regular injections of SIQ, the animals lose their evolved fighting instincts! Then we can just wait and gather them back up!"

"Take over the world?!" Amelia erupted, leaping to her feet and pointing at Shiki. "Not only do you raise monsters and attack innocents but you want to take over the world?! Fiendish pirate, heaven itself holds no mercy for you! Prepare yourself, for the judgement of justice is upon you!"

The orange glow of a fireball flashed in Amelia's palm. Several pirate captains drew weapons but their reactions were too slow. Eyes locked onto Shiki, Amelia drew back her hand to throw.

"Fire-" she began.

A sudden punch to the back of the head sent Amelia sprawling, the fireball fizzling out in her hand. Attention shifted to Lina, who stood over the fallen princess, fist raised.

"Hehe, uh sorry about that! Guess that joke went a little too far right guys?" Lina nervously reassured the pirates.

All eyes moved now to Golden Lion, to see what his reaction was going to be to this rebellion.

"A duck?" Shiki asked witlessly.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Conis! Heso!" Pagaya waved to his daughter. His brown antenna-shaped hair and matching beard swayed in the breeze as he rode his waver over the surface of the white-white sea. Strapped to his back was a basket filled with the day's catch. The destruction of Angel Island and Heaven's gate left them with no easy way to descend to the white sea. In addition, the gaping hole presented a public menace. Though he had no skill in quarrying or shaping the cloud material that was being used to repair the damage, Pagaya was a proud citizen of Skypeia. He would contribute by feeding the workers with his harvest.<p>

"Yes, heso, father!" Conis waved back from the edge of the chasm. She quickly directed the workers nearby to move away.

Conis took a small step to the side as Pagaya drove his waver onto the solid island cloud, causing the machine to flip and dump him face-down onto the ground.

"Is everyone alright?" Pagaya asked, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Speak for yourself." Several men replied simultaneously. Conis smiled; her father was always concerned for everyone else's safety first.

Conis bit her lower lip, turning her thoughts turned to recent events. Just a few hours after the Straw Hat Pirates had left from Cloud End two weeks ago, a group of pirates had attacked from the sky. And just yesterday, Skypeia came under attack again, this time by three ships bearing the same flag as the first. Though the reformed God's Guards had easily disposed of both incursions, Conis could not shake the uneasy feeling that something bigger was on the horizon. And indeed, all over Skypeia, the carefree peace that had followed Enel's defeat was replaced by worry.

"Intruders! Call the guards!" Someone shouted from within the hole, jolting Conis from her thoughts. Idle chatter was quickly replaced by cries of alarm. Workers scrambled up from the ladders hanging over the perimeter of the hole and piled into boats. Only a few guards were in the area, former members of the White Berets who once kept order on Angel Island.

"Prepare to fight if they're hostile." Captain McKinley commanded, drawing a bow from his light blue cloak. "We have to hold them off until God's Guards arrive."

Conis leaned over the railing to have a look at the intruders. She could tell that the two arrivals from below were a man and a woman, drifting through the air somehow without any visible propulsion. Her eyes drifted from the woman's pale white hair to the man's eyes even as he stared back up. She bit her lip again as she felt a wave of malevolent pressure radiate from his stark red pupils.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Look Milina, an angel!" Luke pointed at a young woman leaning over the edge of the hole, even as the workers scrambled out. And indeed, every person present seemed to have small feathered wings sprouting from their upper backs.<p>

"Oh, but wait! Don't get me wrong Milina. You're still the only one for me." He added quickly.

To Luke's happy surprise, Milina gave no response. Instead, she stared ahead at the hole's border. Luke followed her gaze and noticed that a number of white-hatted men had appeared, each pointing a bow at the two of them. Luke's hand moved toward his sword. He had stored his most powerful spell within it and was ready for a fight.

"Don't." Milina grasped Luke's fingers, causing blood to rush to his face. "We can't afford to fight them. No matter what."

"State your purpose!" One shouted down.

"How are you flying through the sky? Are you ability users?" Another added.

"We want to speak with your leader about a coming threat." Milina replied, "What do we have to do?"

"You want an audience with God?" A blue-coated man asked.

"Did he say god?" Luke mumbled, "Is there really a god here?"

* * *

><p>"Dismissed!" Shiki concluded and the assembled captains stood up to leave. Lina beckoned for her group to stand as well, only noticing then that Gourry had fallen asleep and was leaning on a pillar behind them.<p>

Taking a slight running start, Lina struck the side of Gourry's face with her boot, sending him tumbling onto his back. "Damnit Gourry! Don't go to sleep!"

"One more thing before you go, baby girl!" Shiki called to Lina specifically, "You like gold don't you?"

"What?" Lina turned to the Golden Lion even as the other captains filed out.

"There's a story from long ago about a lost city of gold somewhere around here." Shiki explained, "Even I thought it was just a rumor but the story about the bell confirms it. This sky island may hold the legendary city of gold."

"Just remember," Shiki finished, "There's always something you'd want from your captain."

* * *

><p>"You're the Gan Fall? The 'god'?" Luke asked the old man seated before him. Beside him, Milina furrowed her brow at her partner's lack of tact. Though the man was old, there was not a hint of the feebleness that came with age.<p>

Well, his shirt and shorts were a little casual for someone with such a grand title.

Milina looked around uneasily. The White Berets who had arrested them were joined by a darker-skinned man, muscular and covered by tribal tattoos. Milina recognized the cannon that he held over one shoulder as the weapon that had defeated Shiki's invasion force. There was no room for mistakes and she was actually relieved that their weapons had been confiscated.

"Well, what were you expecting then young man? And if you don't mind my asking, why have you come to Upper Yard?" Gan Fall replied to Luke's question.

Luke scratched his chin. "A really huge dragon I guess." He said at last.

The absurdity of Luke's answer seemed to defuse some of the tension, and the guards relaxed their stances. A few of them even covered their mouths, holding back their laughter.

"Wiper, you can relax a little." Gan Fall waved to the darker-skinned man. With a nod, Wiper lowered his weapon and leaned it against a wall before raising a cigarette to his mouth with his free hand.

"We wanted to speak with you about the pirates that have been attacking your island recently." Milina began, "What happened this morning is just the start of it. Some of our friends are being forced to work with them, so we've seen firsthand that these pirates will stop at nothing to get what they want."

She closed her eyes. "We never intended to involve you in this, but we need your help if we're to come out of this alive."

* * *

><p>Shiki grunted in annoyance as a subordinate delivered his report on the G-8 Marine base.<p>

"How many ships in total?" He asked quickly.

"Four battleships have arrived." The man replied. "We have confirmed the presence of Vice Admirals Momonga and Strawberry, in addition to Vice Admiral Jonathan who is known to preside over that base. And Admiral Aoki-"

A gunshot rang out and the messenger collapsed, clutching a bloody knee.

"Don't go spouting off some random crap that I didn't ask for." Shiki snarled.

* * *

><p>Gan Fall listened as the young woman before him listed off what she knew of the invaders' assets, and a gulp of nervous saliva inched its way down his throat.<p>

"He commands an armada of over fifty ships and crews." Milina described, "The loss of those three will be inconsequential to the coming conflict. They were sent out, intentionally, to get a read on your abilities."

Wiper and Gan Fall exchanged glances. A fleet of fifty ships. Such a force was unthinkable by the standards of sky island warfare. But having befriended the late Pirate King during his passage through Skypeia, Gan Fall knew that such things existed on the blue sea.

"In addition," Milina continued, "Shiki maintains a number of monsters on his islands, which he will undoubtedly deploy against you."

* * *

><p>"The animals are ready Indigo. Are you going to have enough of that stuff?" Shiki asked.<p>

"Yes Lord Shiki!" Indigo said without looking up from his work, "We already have enough of the IQ plant here in the lab. I will definitely have enough SIQ ready by..."

* * *

><p>"Then we only have until..." Gan Fall began.<p>

"Tomorrow." Milina said.

* * *

><p>"...tomorrow." Indigo finished.<p>

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>The morning mist filled the skies, dampening the still-glowing embers of the previous night's fires. A thin layer of clouds diffused the brightly glowing disk of the sun to a pale white blur. Vessels of all sizes lined the shores of Upper Yard, sheltered within the shadows of the island's great trees.<p>

"Escape to Clouds End!" A White Beret encouraged the fleeing civilians. "Don't take more than you can carry! Your life is more important!"

"Grab your bags and get on the boats." A father said to his family, kissing the crown of his wife's head. "I'll see you when this is over."

"Do as God said!" Someone shouted from within the crowd.

"This boat's full! Push off!" A militia member commanded.

Wiper stood alone on the shoreline, staring into the distance as the sun's heat began to erode at the fog. He curled his toes, feeling the dirt beneath his feet, the precious Vearth that had been the cause of 400 years of warfare. With their homeland returned to them, the Shandians were no longer guerillas but sentinels; Wiper resolved to be an indestructible one.

So absorbed was he in his thoughts that Wiper did not notice the little girl that had appeared behind him until she took a seat on a protruding root. The girl adjusted her fur cap, allowing a lock of short brown hair to dangle over her face.

"What is it Aisa?" Wiper asked.

"We just won our home back after 400 years." Aisa said, "Why do we have to leave it again?"

"We are not leaving." Wiper reassured her. "We swore that the light of Shandora would never again be extinguished and we intend to fulfill that promise. In this world, peace has to be earned."

The curtain of fog drew away, uncovering the breathtaking sight arrayed before them. The Merveille archipelago hung in the sky, each island casting its enormous shadow on the sea of clouds below.

With the enemy before them, the militia members pushed the evacuation forward with renewed urgency. Wiper stared, open-mouthed, at this overwhelming display of power. The central island alone had to be several times larger than Upper Yard.

"I can hear them Wiper..." Aisa's whimpered, her breaths reduced to shallow gasps. "They're coming..."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Looks like everything we need has been gathered." Shiki said. Beside him, Dr. Indigo poured the last drops of sake into a pair of traditional dishes. Shiki's personalized Communicator Snail, sporting a wild mane of golden hair modeled after that of its owner, eyed the clear liquid with mild curiosity.<p>

A large forested island had been chosen to transport the enhanced animals. With a casual hand motion Shiki dropped the landmass onto the cloud sea and watched as a ship filled with hunters approached. Once the majority of the beasts had been given their doses, the island would be moved next to the its target and the crazed monsters allowed to run wild. Just thinking about his plan brought a smile to Shiki's face, and he pulled the receiver of his communicator snail to his mouth.

"At last, my subordinates!" Shiki declared, his words echoing on the decks of every ship in his golden armada, "At long last, we depart for this sky island. And what a tragic island it is. No one in the world will know of its passing, no one will mourn its destruction. Once you've secured the Poneglyph, the rest is yours to do with what you wish. And with this victory, the World Government shall soon be brought to its knees. Let us toast the victory-to-come!"

The palace trembled as Shiki reached for his sake dish, which slid slightly out of reach. Shiki quickly glanced around but nothing seemed to be amiss. Impatiently, he snatched the plate, bringing it up to his face and preparing to take a sip. Again the palace quaked, causing the alcohol to spill onto Shiki's face and clothing. A growl issued from the Golden Lion's lips as he looked down at his drenched robe, the alcohol stinging as it trickled into his still lingering wounds. The back door of the palace creaked open and a crew member stumbled in, a dart gun in his hand.

"You had better be here to tell me what the hell is going on!" Shiki snapped.

"I'm sorry Lord Shiki." The henchman explained, "The SIQ lab has been destroyed. It was just suddenly engulfed by flames and there was nothing we could do."

Shiki thought of the guerrillas defending the sky island. They had been able to glide on the surface of the cloud sea and their leader used a cannon that fired blue flames. It was possible that they would be able to make their way onto Merveille. But how did they know about the importance of SIQ?

A flash of blue erupted from the white cloud sea as the SIQ delivery ship was obliterated as well. Its charred remains fell into sea clouds, sending up a plume of ash-tinged vapor. Shiki's initial rage condensed into a cold fury as the pieces fell into place. There were traitors within his midst. Their insistence on participating, the absence of two from the meeting, it made sense now.

"Tomie!" Shiki barked into the Communicator Snail, "Get to the SIQ lab and see what you can find. You too Indigo. All ships, commence attack now!"

"Yes Lord Shiki!" Dr. Indigo gave an enthusiastic salute, "What will you be doing?"

"I've got an idea who's behind all this." Shiki said. A grin stretched across his face as he stood up. "And I want to see it with my own eyes."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Luke kicked a rock into the cloud-water river beside him and stood up as the roar of an explosion reached his ears. Though he was deep in the forest, a rising column of smoke was clearly visible through the canopy. Luke paused and thought back to what he'd been told the night before.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Once Lina destroys the first ship you should find a way to signal your position to her. You will need to be together to have a chance of winning." Lina's purple-haired associate said. He paused to remember the details, then revealed to Luke and Milina the plan given out at Shiki's war council.<em>

_"You know, Lina once said that you're a Mazoku." Luke commented, more out of curiosity than malice. "What's your angle? How do I know you aren't trying to screw us over?"_

_"Oh, come now." Xellos reassured. "It's almost like you think of me as some sort of unwanted insect. Now that we're all stuck here together, logically it would be in my interests to help the people I know, right?"_

_Satisfied that everything was in order, Xellos had vanished as quickly as he had arrived._

* * *

><p>"Here goes." Luke mumbled to himself, hoping the smoke was a sign that things had gone right. "Light."<p>

Its duration compressed to a split-second, the Light spell manifested as a blinding flash visible over the canopy. Luke sat back down on a protruding root and hoped that Lina would be the first to see it.

Soon, a swell rose from the surface of the river before the cloud-water drew away, revealing Lina and Gourry in a Raywing shell. Noticing Luke sitting nearby, Lina floated over land and canceled the spell, landing gracefully on the riverbank. Gourry flailed in the air for a moment, unprepared for the sudden release, and fell flat onto his back.

"Hey Lina, could you give me a warning next time?" Gourry complained.

"Yeah, whatever Gourry." Lina said. She bent down and swished a hand in the cloud-water of the river. "Is this stuff cloud or water?" She asked no one in particular, "Flying through it was really hard!"

"Hm?" Lina looked around again. "Where's Milina?" She asked. "Did she lose interest in you and run off?"

"Why would you say that?!" Luke shouted, feeling his face flushing with heat. "You should know by now that the bonds of love and trust between Milina and I are as strong as the rope that you would climb mountains with!"

Lina looked unimpressed. "A mountain climbing rope isn't that much stronger than a regular rope, is it? And a relationship of mutual trust is a pretty broad category."

"Shut up! Milina's here, just she's working with the locals."

"Okay, okay." Lina conceded. "Now isn't the time to be teasing you."

"I agree. You have bigger problems to worry about." Shiki's voice boomed from above.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"The great warrior Calgara once said, 'Light the fire of Shandora.'" Wiper addressed his fellow warriors, who sat in a circle within his teepee. Not one of them had packed their belongings in the evacuation.<p>

"We have always and will always follow these words. It doesn't matter who our opponents are. If we go to our deaths, then so be it! We will not leave our homeland again! The Light of Shandora will never again be extinguished!"

Outside, Milina helped Gan Fall into his plate armor. The elderly man's pink polka-dotted bird landed nearby with a shrill cry, and Milina gave it an odd look.

"And with the ringing of the Golden Bell, the war was over as the prophesy said." Gan Fall concluded his tale. "There was no more reason for war. The earth rejected no one, it was we who rejected each other."

Milina smiled. Though the story seemed a little embellished, she was glad that these people had found peace after so many years of conflict. Peace that Shiki was all too eager to disturb.

A tremor rippled through the land, causing Gan Fall to tense and the Shandians to come running.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"You've been planning this all along haven't you baby girl?" Shiki accused, shaking his head with a disgusted expression on his face.<p>

"Yeah, I have. Forcing me to join using threats against my friends? Not a good idea." Lina wagged a finger. The earth quivered again as she finished.

"But I did everything that you asked me to." Shiki replied with mock disappointment. "Friends, homes, family. A true pirate doesn't care about that crap! If you let those things hold you back, you are only throwing your life away!"

"Speaking of throwing your life away..." Shiki hissed, raising his hands, "That's what you did when you decided to cross me a second time. And look! There are only three of you this time. You don't have even a chance of winning! Ah, but don't worry, you'll be seeing your friends on the other side real soon."

"Power is the only thing that matters in this world baby girl. What a waste. _Menacing Lion: Winding Earth!_" Shiki roared. At the legendary pirate's command, a colossal, mountainous shiver traveled through the earth and the battlefield exploded into anarchy. The soil buckled and writhed, sweeping upward into a sky darkening tsunami.

"Whoa, whoa Lina! What do we do?!" Gourry yelped.

* * *

><p><em>"Did you really meet Lei Magnus?!" Lina cried, her mouth gaping in astonishment.<em>

_"Oh yes, he was the nobleman I mentioned who gave me the Demon's Blood Talismans." Xellos said, "The very same talismans that you now wear Miss Lina."_

_"And I'm guessing the 'service' you mentioned was wiping out the Golden Dragons during the War of Resurrection?" Lina pressed._

_"Ah, let us not bring up the long past when there is business to be done now." Xellos quickly changed the topic, "The reason I brought him up at all was for his legacy. You know the names of the two spells he invented, correct?"_

_Lina nodded. Lei Magnus was credited with a wealth of accomplishments, including the invention of two of the most powerful spells known. One was the Dragon Slave, which he had famously wielded to destroy a great Arc Dragon that was threatening a kingdom. Lina's own reliance on it was perhaps slightly responsible for her largely undeserved reputation._

_"The spell that I'm going to teach you has two variations, and you've already seen me use one." Xellos continued. "Unfortunately it is no longer possible for me to demonstrate and it would be best if you refrained from drawing attention as well. I'm sure that a sorceress of your talent will be able to get them right the first time."_

* * *

><p>"It's do or die." Lina commanded, "Luke, use the Flare Seal."<p>

"What?! How is that going to help us in this situation?" Luke protested, looking frantically at the darkening sky.

"Just do it you dolt! There's no time!" Lina screeched. Luke sniffed indignantly and acquiesced, beginning the long incantation for the Flare Seal. Lina raised her talismans to form the endpoints of a cross.

_"Lords of the Darkness of the Four Worlds, on thy bonds I do swear. Grant me all the power that you possess!"_

The familiar power of the demon kings filled Lina's body. This next spell could not be used without it. Lina hoped it would be enough.

_"Source of all power, crimson fire burning bright. By the words of the covenant, let this power gather in my hand and become an inferno!"_

A cataclysm of heat erupted forth, scorching the surrounding area to a molten hellscape. Trees were burnt to ash, stone bubbled and ran like wax and the very air was warped and distorted. Lina glanced at Luke, who had finished his Flare Seal just moments before. A dimly glowing barrier pulsed around him and Gourry, holding the inferno at bay.

Mustering her will, Lina threw her arms wide.

_"Blast Bomb!"_

As the tsunami of dirt poured in, it was met by an obliterating hurricane of white-hot plasma. An apocalypse of vaporized soil and superheated gases blasted through the ceiling of the earthen dome, erupting into the heavens with a volcanic thunder. The huddled evacuees still waiting to be lowered to the White Sea watched as Upper Yard was plunged into shadow. Bolts of lightning flashed through the glowing ejecta cloud.

"What kind of battle is this..."

"What will happen to our home?"

"It's like the end of the world."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> There's a lot of back-and-forth cutting in this chapter, particularly near the middle, and a pair of flashbacks in the later half. Lemme know if it feels weird and you guys think I should get rid of it, or if you've got suggestions for improving them.


	6. Chapter 6 - By Demons be Driven

**Chapter 6: By Demons be Driven**

**Strong World Arc**

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Shiki moved his arms in wide sweeping gestures, recruiting more and more earth to restrain the flames. Hundred-foot trees were pulverized by the growing vortex and fed into the conflagration. Molten boulders rained from the tortured sky, blanketing Upper Yard in explosive anarchy. From the air, the island seemed to unravel, devoured by the hellish singularity that churned beside it. A second jet of vaporized material breached the sea of clouds, blowing its superheated contents into the layer below.<p>

Despite Shiki's best efforts and full concentration, the flame was winning. There was not enough material on the entire island to hold back that inferno. Shiki regretted not bringing a Den Den Mushi; once released, the fires would probably scour the island bare. The crews making up his armada, fearful of the burning debris that filled the skies, had landed and begun attacking on foot. They would be wiped out to a man.

Shiki took some consolation from the fact that he still had his SIQ beasts. Once he finished killing the girl and her little band of friends, he could rebuild his forces again. He was nothing if not patient.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>At the shores of upper yard, one of the pirate captains reached a similar conclusion.<p>

"This is a suicide mission! Get back to the ship!" He urged his men. "Pull up the anchor! Screw Shiki! We're outta-"

A tendril of brown hair lanced out and speared the man through the throat. It shook his limp body in the air for a moment before dumping it into the sea.

"Any other cowards will get the same treatment!" Dozle roared. His metal faceplate, rage-crazed eyes and colossal blades projected a terrifying visage. Even in the midst of battle, Shiki's forces feared him more than they did the enemy.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>The defenders stood at the edge of forest and ruin, watching the apocalypse unfold.<p>

"Impossible..." The Shandian Laki stared with eyes wide, her voice just audible over the howling wind.

"What are we supposed to do?" Kamakiri murmured, digging his spear haft into the ground. "This is like a battle between gods."

"These are not gods." Milina began. A panel of faces turned to look at her.

"Gods exist in the place we came from." She continued. "But no one has seen them for thousands of years. Demons exist too, and I've seen more than enough of them. Even the least of them can murder and destroy, while their greatest weave plots of war and annihilation."

Milina paused to recall a conversation from a few days ago. To her and Luke's shock, Lina's companions had, as one, confirmed her role in the destruction of not one, but two demon lords, collapsing the barrier around their land and leading directly to the current rush to make contact with the Outer World. Milina didn't think they were the type of people to lie about something like that.

"And yet, here we are." Milina said waving a hand at the clashing elements. "This is sorcery, a power that anyone can wield, allowing humans to harness forces greater than ourselves. And with it, we threw down the demons and broke their hold over our lands."

"Well, my word! A power that any may wield. That doesn't sound half bad." Gan Fall remarked. He stood a little straighter while his bird let out a piercing cry. The others arrayed themselves behind him.

The cacophany of the two clashing techniques began to fade to a dull roar. Milina caught a glimpse of Shiki in the sky, retreating. The legendary pirate was abandoning the duel.

"Everyone gather around me and prepare for the blast." Milina said. She began the long incantation for the Flare Seal as the storm of fire eroded away the last of its restraints, flaring outward into the open air.

At the last moment the flames condensed, compressing into a white-hot cyclone whose blinding light cast long shadows across Upper Yard. Milina smiled. Lina was in control.

New sounds rushed in to fill the sudden vacuum. Barked commands filtered in through the trees as pirate captains ordered their subordinates through the forest. The defenders readied their weapons.

"I forgot to mention it," Gan Fall climbed onto his bird's back. "but my partner, Pierre, is a bird that ate the Horse-Horse Fruit. Meaning, he can become a winged horse. Namely..."

Acknowledging the implicit command, Pierre began to change. His feathers split and softened into a coat of short fur while his talons merged to hooves. A second pair of legs grew from his chest.

"A pegasus?" Milina asked, doing her best to remain composed. She noticed, to her puzzlement, that the Shandians were averting their eyes.

"That's right, a pegasus!" Gan Fall declared.

Concealed excitement turned to disappointment as the bird completed his transformation, the resulting "pegasus" retaining his original polka-dotted coloration, and looking more like an awkward patchwork of bird and horse than than the regal creature of legend.

"God Gan Fall!" The Shandian Braham cried. "What should we do about the great bell?"

"Oho, that's right." Gan Fall winked. "Ring the bell one last time before battle. Let the invaders hear the song of the land."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Milina cautioned as the Shandian warriors withdrew into the city. "Doing that could alert them to our position."

Gan Fall simply smiled and closed his eyes as the clarion sound of the golden bell echoed through the isle. The birds of the forest took to the air, calling in unison with the rhythmic chimes. The advancing pirates hesitated, unsure of the meaning of this noise.

The peals of the bell, clear as a mountain spring, echoed across sea and sky, reaching the ears of the evacuees on the White Sea below. Anxious civilians looked up, and felt their fear being lifted away. Despite the cataclysmic clash, the Golden Bell had survived.

The ground trembled at the Shandoran ruins and the sound of tearing wood could be heard from the forest. Milina caught a glimpse of an enormous shadow gliding between the trees. Noting her concern, Gan Fall gave Milina a reassuring look.

The tree line parted as a colossal serpent slithered into the ruins, and the Shandians simply looked on as the leviathan coiled protectively around the bell that had called it. Its forked tongue flicked out to assess the situation.

Sitting tall on his "pegasus" with the snake at his back, Gan Fall raised his spear aloft.

"Now, let us drive our demons back to the sea from whence they came!"

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>A chilly breeze blew past Amelia's ear, causing her to shiver slightly. Beside her, Zelgadis caught a snowflake drifting down from the overcast sky, noting its ashen gray color.<p>

A smoldering mound of blackened ash and twisted metal lay before them, the remains of the once elegant pagoda that housed Shiki's chemical laboratory. The still glowing embers hissed softly in the cold mountain air. On the other side of the ash pile, Shiki's clown-like scientist looked upon the ruins of two decades' work and let out a discordant wail.

"Shiki sent _you_?" Zelgadis snorted derisively. "Now he's just insulting us." He threw back his cloak to reveal a pair of revolvers, which he had taken a liking to after confiscating them from the slavers.

"This despicable man is guilty of countless misdeeds!" Amelia brought her hands up to a spellcasting position. "Justice awaits you fiend!"

An arc of red struck lashed out toward Dr. Indigo, and the scientist dove to the side, displaying an agility that belied his foolish appearance. The spell collided with the ground where he had stood but a moment before, penetrating five feet into the bedrock and pulverizing it to dust. Dr. Indigo landed on his feet, throwing his arms wide. Luminous droplets of green emanated from his palms, gathering into orbs of flame that arrayed themselves above him.

"Chemical Juggling... ignite!" Dr. Indigo thrust a palm forward, sending the orbs streaking through the air toward Amelia and Zelgadis. New projectiles bubbled from his remaining hand, looping over his head to replace those that were spent; a never-ending rapid-fire barrage, like a clown juggling balls.

"Windy Shield!" Zelgadis called, hardening the air into a shimmering dome. The lime green flames slammed the barrier, which emitted a high pitched whine as it held back the assault.

"Piro piro piro piro." Dr. Indigo guffawed, "How do you like the power of my Chemical Juggling?"

The flames guttered out, revealing Zelgadis and Amelia to be unharmed.

"I don't have time for your theatrics, clown." Zelgadis replied.

Dr. Indigo bristled at the insult and gnashed his teeth in anger. A mass of newly formed fireballs merged into a single growing sphere over his head, already the size of the scientist's body and still growing. Darker spots of flame resembling a leering, demonic face formed on the orb's surface.

"Astral Vine!" Bolts of white flashed across Zelgadis' pistols, leaving behind a faint crimson glow. Dr. Indigo's eyes widened as the first shot ripped through his hair and struck a tree behind him. The mighty conifer fell to the ground with a crack, snapped like kindling by the magically empowered bullet. With concentration lost, the scientist's attack fizzled and extinguished itself. Zelgadis smiled and prepared to fire again; the scientist's attack looked threatening but it was slow to build. He had fired the first shot in haste; he would not miss again.

A buzzing noise rose above the quiet hum of Zelgadis' enhanced weapons for a moment before an insect appeared beside him. Roughly the size of a hand, the creature's four membranous wings supported a hairy, bulbous abdomen that bulged and leaked black poison.

"Look out!" Zelgadis shouted. With only a moment to act, the chimera flung Amelia to the side and gritted his teeth, counting on his unnatural toughness to endure whatever came. He covered his eyes as the bug's explosive death coated him with a layer of black sludge.

"Are you okay Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia cried. Zelgadis looked down at at his body. Even where the substance made direct contact there was no discomfort. He brushed off the larger masses and glanced at the direction that the bug came from. There, the superior senses bestowed by his Brau Demon components picked up a solitary figure standing, hunched, on a mountain slope.

"Amelia, can you handle this joker?" Zelgadis asked.

"No problem Mr. Zelgadis! I'll defeat him with courage and a righteous heart!" Amelia flashed him a wink and pumped her first into the air. "The fire of justice in my heart will burn this villain to death, naturally!"

"I had to ask." Zelgadis looked at her uneasily. But allowing someone to snipe at them from a distance would be leaving Amelia in even more danger.

Invoking a Raywing, Zelgadis took off toward the slopes. Noting his approach, the sniper quickly obscured herself with a billowing black smokescreen. No, not a smokescreen, but a cloud of buzzing gnats so thick that it obscured everything within. Zelgadis drove the spell harder, flying close enough to note his opponent's features before visibility on the ground decreased to nothing.

"A pretty interesting ability you have here, Tomie." He called.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Separated from a hurricane of flame by a faint, blue barrier, Gourry actually felt a sense of relief. Though his memories of their past opponents were hazy, Gourry knew that when Lina got serious, they had always pulled through in the end.<p>

The tremors halted, leaving Gourry with a moment to wonder what was happening outside. And an instant later, just as quickly as they had appeared, Lina's flames pulled away, revealing the extent of the devastation. Vast fissures had been carved from the loam, the soil drawn away by Shiki to sustain their clash. A thick layer of cooling glass covered everything the flames had touched, a million tiny mirrors reflecting the lightning flashes that twisted through the blackened sky. Gourry let out a gasp as he noticed the chasm that had formed at the epicenter of the spell, a gaping abyss that seemed to stretch downward for eternity.

Through the rapidly fading heat haze, Gourry could see Lina floating over the gap, staring up at a golden speck in the sky. The blonde swordsman drew his weapon, though he wasn't sure what he'd be able to do against a flying opponent. As he stared, Gourry noticed Shiki's attention lapse. His monster-filled island, sitting far offshore on the cloud sea, began to move closer. The beasts that occupied the island, visible like colorful ornaments against its green backdrop, grew even more agitated as the landmass cut through the cloud-water.

"Hey Lina he's moving the island back!" Gourry shouted and waved. "Hit him while he's looking away!"

Lina snapped out of her glaring match and gestured for Luke to attack. Luke nodded and raised his arms, already crackling with bright yellow sparks.

"Dynast Brass!" Luke incanted. Rather than crossing the intervening distance, arcs of lightning flitted down from the sky, forming a pentagram around Shiki. The pirate's last minute evasion failed as a titanic bolt pierced through the center of the formation. A pained, stuttering groan escaped from Shiki's lips and his control over his island was cut.

"Dolph Zoke!"

A enormous blast of pressurized water was expelled from Lina's hands, slamming into Shiki's chest like a liquid sledgehammer, sending him spinning through the air. Darting forward, Lina pressed the advantage with a Digger Volt, lashing at the pirate with a flickering arc of lightning. Blood stained Shiki's golden robes; his wounds from the previous battle had been reopened.

"We've got him on the ropes Gourry!" Lina cheered. "You go handle the pirates on the ground. Luke and I can beat this guy now."

"Aye aye captain!" Gourry saluted before sprinting off, glass crunching beneath his boots. He paused briefly as he noted the sounds of battle near the tree line, and dashed toward the source.

A tendril swept out from the forest and lanced into the ground, and only a split-second reaction allowed Gourry to leap clear of the attack. Even as he landed, he could hear the limb burrowing through the earth, splitting and multiplying like the veins of a leaf in preparation for a follow-up attack.

A forest of spikes exploded from the ground, a thousand spear-tipped threads shooting upward. Gourry covered his face as shattered glass flew and swung his sword as best he could. One speared into his leg, while others curving toward his face were cut. The threads withdrew, shrinking back toward a solitary figure emerging from the shadow of the trees.

"Hey, it's you!" Gourry pointed.

Stepping out from the beneath the canopy, Dozle said nothing in reply, though his eyes blazed with his limitless hatred. The dim red glow of the sky reflected on his metal faceplate made him look positively terrifying. Two cleavers trembled within his hands, their components rattling against one another, growling for blood.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Flare Arrow!" A dozen spears of flame flew from Luke's hands, forcing Shiki toward his side, where Lina's fireball was bearing down upon him. Again the pirate maneuvered away but Lina was prepared.<p>

"Break!" On Lina's command, the fireball fragmented, spraying the air around it with a shower of sparks, tattering Shiki's clothing and face with a canvas of sizzling scorch marks. It was a minor wound, but with the pirate already so injured, every bit counted. And if they could just keep the pressure up, Shiki wouldn't be able to deploy his monsters against Milina and the defenders.

"Luke I can handle this." Lina suddenly ordered. "You go help Gourry."

Luke glanced toward the edge of the forest where another battle had broken out. Dozle attacked relentlessly, sending dozens of tendrils at Gourry from every direction, trying to cut off his escape and crush him between them. The blonde swordsman was evading admirably but had no openings with which to attempt a counter-assault. Eventually he would make a mistake and that would be the end.

"Fine." Luke relented, directing his flight spell toward the island.

"You had better not screw this up." He called back at Lina.

Dismissing his Raywing, Luke landed behind Dozle, and the pirate paused in his assault, allowing Gourry to gain some distance.

"I guess we've seen all there is to your Devil Fruit power." Luke brazenly taunted, hoping to tease out any remaining secrets. "I'd say you really don't have a chance against the both of us."

Luke's expression changed to one of puzzlement when Dozle laughed, a deep booming sound that promised only death.

"How would you know what its limit is," Dozle asked, "when this is your first time seeing it?"

Looking past the pirates, tThe first thing Luke noticed was an expression of bewilderment on Gourry's face. Standing at Dozle's front, the blonde was seeing something that he wasn't. From behind, the pirate's hair began to lengthen, flowing down his back and out from his clothing. What? That wasn't right.

Luke rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing clearly, and when he reopened them, his mouth gaped at the sight. A new appendage was now growing from Dozle's face; a elephant's trunk that hung down to his knees. With it, he tore off his white buttoned shirt, revealing that his entire torso was now covered by a thick carpet of dark brown fur. Arms and legs thickened to tree trunks as his height expanded upward; fifteen, twenty, twenty five feet tall. The cleavers, ponderous and oversized for a human wielder, now fit comfortably within his massive clenched fists. The metal faceplate expanded along with its wearer, forming gaps to accommodate a pair of gleaming ivory tusks that curled up over the pirate's face. The ropes strapping the final cleaver to his back were not as fortunate. They snapped, but before the blade could hit the ground Dozle stretched his trunk back to catch it. Wrapping the appendage around the weapon's handle, Dozle gave it a shake, causing it to unfold. Unlike the others, the edge of this third cleaver was serrated, made for tearing meat.

"My Devil Fruit is a rare Ancient Zoan." Dozle rumbled. The sound of his voice seemed to conduct through the ground, shaking Luke to his marrow.

_"Elephant-Elephant Fruit: Model Mammoth."_

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Bomb di Wind!" Lina thrust her hands forward and fired. A bludgeoning attack, intended to exacerbate Shiki's injuries more. The pirate kicked forward with a sword, slicing the air into a golden blade that cut the spell in half. The pressurized blast dissipated harmlessly.<p>

"Such a shame." Shiki said with mock concern, "That you will all die here."

"I don't think so." Lina replied, "With wounds bleeding like that you aren't going to last much longer."

"Is that what you were counting on you stupid girl?" Shiki stretched his arms wide in a brazen challenge. "I was the one who fought with the legendary marines Garp and Sengoku at Marineford. I cut off my own legs to escape from Impel Down, the World Government's most secure prison. If I'm just fighting a stupid moron like you, some little bruises like these..." He pointed to the bloody wounds on his chest. "are nothing!"

"That's an impressive boast, but don't think I'll give up just with that." Lina replied. "There's no point in going adventuring if you can't do what you want, isn't that right?"

A flicker of recognition was visible on Shiki's face for a moment, before it was replaced by rage. He exploded forward, one bladed leg extended, flinging himself forward with reckless speed. Lina struggled to maneuver the Raywing out of the way. An instant of stillness, silence, as the legendary pirate sailed at Lina's throat.

A nimbus of shadow erupted into existence, wrapped protectively around Lina, filling her vision with darkness, but allowing her to hear the pirate's cry of surprise. The new arrival flared its power, throwing back Shiki's charge.

"Oh dear, it seems I'll have to get involved too." Xellos' pronounced, his voice dripping with mock concern. "After all, the best way to hunt a lion is to chase it without stopping, never giving it a chance to bare its fangs."

The cloud of shadow condensed, compressing itself into a spinning black cyclone. This too unraveled, revealing Xellos' human form within.

"Eh? Who the hell are you?" Shiki growled.

"Oh, you don't know me?" Xellos raised his staff to a combative posture and opened his eyes, revealing his slitted cat-like pupils. A suffocating torrent of bloodlust filled the air.

"That's too bad, because I know all about you."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Arc finale in the next chapter.

I'll be sticking to English for Devil Fruit names, and I hope nobody minds. In Japanese, the two new ones would be Konchu Konchu no Mi (Tomie, Paramecia), and Zoa Zoa no Mi: Model Mammoth (Dozle, Zoan). Originally, Tomie's fruit was the Mushi Mushi no Mi, but this chapter was written before we got to know Dressrosa's Dwarves, who have two models of the actual Mushi Mushi no Mi.


	7. Chapter 7 - Blaze of Glory

**Chapter 7: Blaze of Glory**

**Strong World Arc**

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Vice Flare!"<em> Amelia cried, pitching forward a fist-sized orb of blue that expanded rapidly as it cut through the air. Green flames rushed forward to meet it and the two forces struggled mightily, unleashing waves of sweltering heat that vaporized the snow cover. Twisted spires of ice and blackened craters in the bedrock told of countless prior clashes.

Amelia took a step back, breathing hard from exertion. They had reached something of an impasse; while her own spellcasting prowess had saved her thus far, the pressure from clown-scientist's constant attacks were keeping her from casting any of her more powerful spells.

"No matter how great your power may be, as long as it never gives up and fights with all its strength, justice will triumph!" Amelia declared. A much needed confidence boost, to try something daring. Repeated exchanges at long range was not the hero's way after all; a true ally of justice ended battles quickly and decisively. Invoking a Visfarank, Amelia covered her fists with solid orbs of white and directed her Raywing forward.

"Piro piro piro! Getting desperate little girl?" Dr. Indigo taunted. He gestured with a hand and the green lights that danced around his figure like Will-o-Wisps were sent hurtling forward.

Amelia swerved through the barrage, the ground a white blur as she raced at her foe. Avoiding one fireball, Amelia found herself faced with another that entered the protective sphere of condensed air. She raised a fist, wrapped in white astral energies and scattered the projectile. The instant of hesitation was all her opponent needed. Dozens of fireballs now spread before her, a veritable wall of flame, for it was all Amelia could do not to be forced back. And with each one she deflected, some of the radiance surrounding her fists bled away. Septic green flames rose up faster than the Raywing could blow them away them, fraying Amelia's clothing and stinging her skin.

_"Elmekia Lance!"_ Amelia cast in desperation, throwing a dagger of white through the fusillade. No mark appeared on Dr. Indigo's skin where it struck, but he stumbled back and his eyes glazed over momentarily. The orbs circling over his head flickered like candles. He gesticulated wildly to fire but the projectile simply quivered in his hand, unmoving. With a frustrated growl he tried again, and this time the fireball detonated with a dull roar. The wave of flame washed over the others, setting them off and engulfing the doctor in a toxic green conflagration. Amelia pumped a fist into the air and cheered.

Dr. Indigo rolled out of the flames, arms flailing, desperately trying to extinguish the flames clinging to his lab coat. Burning fragments drifted from the scientist's hair and his pale skin was marred by burns. His eyes were bloodshot with rage but trembled also with a tinge of fear.

"Hmph, you think you can take care of me?" Dr. Indigo blustered, "And for what? To protect this insignificant little sky island? Who gives a damn if it gets destroyed? I know I wouldn't!"

Curtains of amethyst flames rose up around him, hissing where they touched the ground and setting the air screaming. An omnidirectional burst, a formidable defense that left no point unguarded. Amelia's mind raced as she sought the way to victory until the realization hit her. It was so obvious. Her Elmekia Lance, cast in desperation at the time, had not flown between the fireballs; it had gone through them. As a spell that damaged targets only on the Astral side, it would encounter no resistance from purely physical objects.

"Though you cower behind your walls, no force can protect you from my righteous fury!" Amelia shouted down as she finished her incantation. "Now, feel the hammer of justice! _Rah Tilt!_"

A bolt of sky blue flames raced down, piercing soundlessly through Dr. Indigo's barrier. The wall of flame quivered and collapsed, contracting in on itself before erupting outward with wild, unchecked power. Amelia turned her back to the explosion, allowing her face to be thrown into shadow, and struck a dramatic pose.

"This is the fate of all those who stand against justice!" She declared.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"A smokescreen is the tactic of an assassin." Zelgadis said slowly. The soft hum of his Raywing spell was drowned out by the buzzing of countless insects, a cacophonous droning static that sent patches of loose snow tumbling down from the peak high above.<p>

"And if that's what you have to resort to in an open battle, then you're already losing."

A sphere of compressed air issued from Zelgadis' outstretched palms, slamming into the wall of insects with a dull roar, throwing up a shower of torn limbs and membranous wings. Despite the damage, the obscuring swarm remained intact, new members filing in to replace those that were lost. Zelgadis scowled; unlike Lina, he prided himself on his efficiency, defeating opponents with the minimum amount of force necessary. He quickly reminded himself that his friends were in danger as well, and that he needed to finish his battle and go to their aid.

_"Wind which blows across eternity..."_ Zelgadis closed his eyes to concentrate, beginning the incantation for Buday Wind, the strongest spell in the air shamanistic school.

When he opened them again, he paused. In response to the first attack, the swarm's behavior had changed; the seething cohesive mass was splitting apart, budding into dozens of subdivisions that drifted across the slopes. Zelgadis' eyes darted to and fro; any of them could be concealing Tomie, and he could no longer catch them all. With a roar of determination he aimed at the largest pocket and unleashed his attack.

The obliterating hurricane summoned by the spell smashed into the mountainside, blasting aside the thick snow, snapping trees like kindling, and flinging boulders through the air like so many grains of sand. A stretch of snow slid down the slope, but it came to a halt before it could build into an avalanche. Zelgadis covered his face against the backblast and peered through his fingers; only a few aimlessly fluttering insects from his target had survived, but Tomie had not been uncovered.

The surface of a distant swarm parted, belching forth a wave of attackers. Winged beetles the size of dogs tore through the air, long curved mandibles gleaming in the dim light of the lava-filled sky. As Zelgadis watched, the swarm concealing Tomie quickly merged with several others, then the conglomerate divided again to keep him guessing. With no choice but to follow the only lead he had, Zelgadis flew in his opponent's general direction and invoked a Dark Mist. Thick black fog filled the air, so dense that Zelgadis could barely see his hands.

The steady hum of the Raywing spell was replaced by a high pitched screech as something broke through its boundary. The intruder slammed into Zelgadis' gut, sending him tumbling. He looked down to see one of the beetles perched on his midsection, clicking its mandibles, then plunging them into his skin.

A white-hot current of pain coursed through Zelgadis' nerves as twin daggers pierced his abdomen, tearing out chunks of gravel-like flesh to be flung away by the beetle's scrabbling legs. Zelgadis drew his sword and swung it across the beetle's back; his eyes went wide as the blade glanced off the creature's smooth, black carapace. Cursing in frustration, Zelgadis jammed the blade's tip into the gap between the beetle's head and thorax. This seemed to have an effect; the creature's vice-like jaws loosened, though only a bit.

A second beetle appeared from the fog, its wings a blur of motion. It settled onto Zelgadis' right arm and tore at it in a frenzy. A streak of pain lanced into Zelgadis' back as a third began its attack there. The metallic taste of blood flowed over Zelgadis' tongue and a trickle of it leaked from the corner of his mouth. Another beetle latched onto his leg. And another. Zelgadis spiraled into the snow, crying out in pain, hands flailing desperately at his assailants. If he didn't think of something, anything to get these terrors off, then he was going to die here. An image of Amelia flashed into Zelgadis' thoughts. If he didn't defeat Tomie here, she would surely be killed next. Zelgadis swallowed his hesitation.

_"Digger Volt!"_ Zelgadis cried, touching the tip of his sword to his chest. A stuttering groan escaped from his lips as seething arcs of lightning coursed through his weapon and tore into his body. His fingers convulsed, his cape caught fire and blood leaked from his eyes and nose as capillaries were heated to a boil. The remaining droplets of sludge slathered over Zelgadis by Tomie's first attack boiled and withered to ash. At last, the beetles fell away, their legs still twitching from the residual charge.

Zelgadis slammed into the ground, then climbed unsteadily to his feet, pressing a palm to the throbbing wound on his midsection. A warm white glow suffused his hand and the burning pain faded to a dull ache. Granite-like flesh flowed into the gap and a new layer of pebbly blue skin covered it. Zelgadis fell to one knee; the Recovery spell had drawn heavily from his reserves to facilitate the healing. There was no longer room for extravagance.

The conjured fog began to dissipate, a black curtain pulling away to reveal a familiar scene. Looking down, Zelgadis realized he was standing knee-deep in loose snow, the remnants of the snowslide triggered by his attack. Yes, something like that would work.

Zelgadis raised his hands, forming his fingers into an approximation of a protractor. He nodded to himself as he noted the thick slabs of slow hanging precariously from the summit. A few vibrating blasts at the right spots-

Zelgadis' head snapped back down as Tomie launched her next attack. Spherical masses of webbing flew through the air, several landing near him. On impact, each globule unraveled, releasing a swarm of spiders, a living black carpet of skittering legs and wicked fangs. Zelgadis grimaced. If he took to the air, the appraisals he had already done would be erased. No, he would bear it and place all his faith in the plan.

To his surprise, the spiders ignored Zelgadis utterly, crawling around and even over him, still searching for their quarry. Zelgadis wisely remained motionless, and he smiled inwardly. The insects had been able to attack him unerringly even when blinded; it must have been scent, the scent of the substance deposited by Tomie's initial attack, that had lead them to him. A small measure of gratitude for Rezo welled up within Zelgadis as well, followed by a silent condemnation. To these insects that relied on smell, without any external factors to aid them, Zelgadis may as well have been a stone.

The final calculations settled into Zelgadis' mind; the angles of attack, the amount of power necessary, and the probable paths that would result. There was enough snow to cover most of the mountainside and sweep through every one of Tomie's swarms. The swarms were relatively slow moving, so if Tomie jumped to avoid the danger she would expose herself to attack.

_"Damu Brass!"_ Spheres of red flew up the mountain, impacting at a dozen points near the peak. Zelgadis watched with bated breath as the summit seemed to shudder, slabs of snow coming loose with a low rumble and flowing down the slopes, growing into thundering walls of white as they gathered more and more substrate. Traveling down at such a steep incline, an avalanche could achieve velocities of over two hundred miles per hour. Ensconced within her living cloud, Tomie could neither see nor hear it coming.

Suspended safely in the air, Zelgadis watched intently for motion as each mass of snow came to a halt at the base of the mountain. A hand broke through the surface and struggled to gain purchase. Zelgadis moved to intercept, striking at the snow with a barrage of fiery spears.

Zelgadis smiled as the flames dissipated, revealing the pirate, paralyzed and helpless within a small pool of meltwater. The snow was not tightly packed; water was leaking out through gaps in the 'bowl', leaving Zelgadis without enough time to cast a Rah Tilt. He drew his revolvers, still clad in the red glow of the Astral Vine. The cracks of gunfire echoed between the peaks.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Milina leaned forward on the branch she was resting on and pressed a softly glowing hand to a deep puncture wound on Pierre's hind leg. She closed her eyes and concentrated, shutting out all outside stimuli. Gan Fall held his breath as the entry hole began to contract, relaxing when the penetrator, a round metal pellet, was forced out before the wound closed fully. Milina caught the projectile before it could fall to the ground and rolled it between her fingers.<p>

Pierre gave an enthusiastic shriek, accompanied by a grateful nod from Gan Fall as the two leapt off the tree branch that they were perched upon. Milina peered through the leaves as the awkward pegasus spread his wings and flew back toward the battle. It must have seemed to the pirates that their foes were immortal.

"Not one step back!" A pirate captain howled over the din of combat. "Fight together and push forward to the Golden City!"

A blur of motion descended from the trees, slamming into the captain's chest and sending him flying. His panicked subordinates waved their guns and fired wildly, but the few shots that were on target were deflected by the assailant's upraised shield. Darting behind trees only to appear from another unexpected direction, stopping just long enough to give the pirates but a glimpse, the 'Berserker of Shandia' fought like a stalking predator, hounding and corralling his prey before rending them all to shreds.

"I don't even need my gun to take your heads." Wiper growled. He sucked in a last lungful of pungent tobacco smoke and allowed the cigarillo to drop from his lips. The glowing tip hissed as it landed in a puddle of blood.

The Shandian warriors followed their leader and surged forward. Dial-based weapons shattered the ground and belched flames into the invader's lines but the pirates gave no ground, forcing the onrushing Shandians to break like waves upon rocks. On the shores of the bay behind them, over a dozen pirate ships were anchored, the spearpoint of the invasion and the salvation of the invaders. Even in the midst of battle, the pirates feared certain death more than probable death.

A rumbling noise echoed through the trees, heralding the arrival of yet another one of Shiki's beasts. Both sides drew back and hid for the moment, for the monsters held no allegiances.

A great cheer went up from the pirate lines as the creature revealed itself to be a red-furred gorilla, dressed in a pink suit tailored to fit its inhuman proportions. The defenders exchanged confused glances but Milina gave a knowing frown; Scarlet was different from the others and somehow seemed to hold a high position on Shiki's crew.

"Be careful!" Milina warned, leaping from her perch and landing among the Shandians, "That's a member of Shiki's crew."

Raising one massive paw, Scarlet pointed in Milina's direction and uttered a series of grunts. The pirates seemed to understand, or at least the meaning was simple enough; they charged with weapons drawn and guns firing. Scarlet himself lead from the front, barreling through trees and tossing boulders aside. Within seconds the ape was nearly upon them.

"If you get desperate in battle, that's when you lose." Wiper scoffed, his face taking on a slightly crazed look. He raised his cannon to shoulder level and with a crack of thunder, a cannonball tore through the air straight at the great ape's face. Milina covered her eyes against the flash and followed the retreating Shandians as they retreated to the edge of the expanding dust cloud.

Rapid, heavy footfalls erased the smile from Wiper's face, giving but an instant of warning before a massive arm shot out of the smoke and batted him away. Milina opened her mouth to cast but a second mighty paw reached out and wrapped itself around her, pinning her hands to her torso. Scarlet leapt upward and the ground pulled back, the world a vertical blur as the ape raced through the canopy with its prisoner.

An explosion of debris was visible from atop the trees where the serpent Nola had intercepted a monster that approached too closely to the Golden City. Scarlet glanced at it for a moment before turning back to Milina. Though the ape's thick jaw was bloodied and one fang was chipped by the blast, it grinned delightedly, puckered its lips and pulled Milina close for a kiss.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Wow..." Gourry said slowly, "This is the first time I've seen a manmoth."<p>

Luke groaned and covered his face with a hand. Though Dozle said nothing, the ground trembled as he turned to face the blonde swordsman, his thick trunk rubbing a shallow cut on his faceplate.

Gourry lunged, sword flashing a silver arc in the dim light. Dozle responded with a wave of threads, their tips compacted into spearpoints, and Gourry hewed at them, each strike swifter than the last.

Luke strafed to the side, placing Dozle between himself and Gourry, and with a roar of _"Bram Gash"_, he flung a dozen invisible blades of wind at the hulking pirate's back. Animated hairs condensed into dense, twisting cables that flawlessly intercepted every missile and dispersed them with muted booms. Two that had been intentionally thrown high to cut off Dozle's escape were utterly ignored.

"What the-" Luke mumbled in dismay.

Ahead, Gourry's assault had come to a halt, and he was just barely holding his ground against endless waves of strands. A cut stained his cheek and dozens more marred his clothes and limbs. Seeing an opportunity, Dozle swung his trunk at Gourry's side with stunning speed, aiming for a lethal strike with the serrated blade in its grasp.

With Dozle's tendrils positioned to cut off easy escape, Gourry had no choice but to brace himself, stabbing his sword into the dirt. Even so, the impact sent him skidding along the ground, cutting a groove where his blade dug in. The corners of Dozle's mouth curled up in a vicious grin as Gourry's weapon was caught between the serrations, allowing one of the blade's teeth to bite into his side.

"I've got you!" Dozle roared. Taking a step back, Dozle retracted his trunk, the serrations of his weapon catching Gourry's sword and wrenching it from his hands. A grunt escaped Gourry's lips as each tooth ripped into his side in rapid succession, tearing away with bloody strips of flesh dangling from their tips. The blonde swordsman hit the dirt, rolled away, and stumbled to his feet, one hand clutching his bleeding wound. It didn't look immediately fatal, but they couldn't afford to let this battle drag on. Gourry's sword clattered to the ground, well within the reach of Dozle's waiting tendrils.

Luke pulled his own sword from its scabbard and eyed his weaponless ally. Though Dozle had turned now to face Luke, every twitch or step Gourry took toward his dropped weapon provoked a response, forcing him back every time. Luke briefly considered throwing his weapon to Gourry, but extinguished the thought as he remembered how easily Dozle had intercepted his spell.

_"Ruby Eye Blade!"_ Luke called, releasing his stored trump card. A torrent of energy exploded from his blade, a blood red sun casting all into shadow. Then, the nimbus collapsed, compressing into a crimson aura molded tightly around his sword. Lina wasn't the only one who could draw power from Ruby Eye Shabranigdo.

Dozle's raised his weapons protectively, somehow knowing he couldn't afford to be hit. The ground rumbled as his countless threads gathered into a massive conglomeration, an avalanche of brown that swept down upon Luke as he charged.

A single swing parted the wave, disintegrating every thread within a ten foot radius, buying Luke a step forward before Dozle attacked again with renewed force. Like the lone mariner, cutting through the storm, Luke advanced violently, relentlessly. As long as he held Ruby Eye's power within his grasp, no thread could touch him, and Dozle's rate of regeneration was slowing as he tired.

Beneath his metal faceplate, Dozle's eyes harbored a glimmer of fear for the first time since the battle had begun. With one arm, he swung a cleaver from the side, its blade aimed to split apart Luke's head. It was sliced apart, the two halves melting into formless piles of slag. With his second blade he made an overhead attack; this too was brushed aside, and at last, Luke stood before his foe. He leapt into the air, sword at the ready, eyes painted on Dozle's remaining weapon; the serrated cleaver that had wounded Gourry during their previous clash.

Dozle tilted his head and veins bulged on his massive forehead. Then, from the corner of his eye, Luke saw the pirate's left tusk extend, its tip shooting out on a trajectory that would have it punch through his chest.

Luke's eyes widened in surprise and he jerked aside reflexively. Instead of spearing him through the ribs the tusk stabbed into his arm and sent him spinning through the air. Panic pulsed through Luke's mind as his sword slipped from his grasp, and the crimson aura around its blade evaporated. Luke hit the ground and the shadow of Dozle's blade fell over his body.

A rumbling cry of pain entered Luke's ears, jolting him back into awareness. He scrambled away and glanced back over his shoulder, noticing that pirate had turned away. A long red line now marred Dozle's back, though it was still relatively shallow compared to his transformed bulk. Gourry stood on the other side, bloodstained sword held in his hands.

"Looks like your prediction thing isn't perfect." Gourry answered Luke's question as he was forming it. "When Luke got close, you got scared and stopped watching what I was doing."

"That was very dangerous." Dozle conceded. "But your trump card is spent." He raised one massive foot and brought it crashing down down upon Luke's sword with a metallic crunch. Luke fought down a wave of dismay at the state of his prized sword as Dozle paused, expecting a reaction.

"So why do you still stand up to us?!" Dozle roared. "What do you think you're gaining by joining and betraying us?!"

The words were spoken to Gourry, who gave no response but to grip his blade more tightly. The pirate turned instead toward Luke.

"We didn't join you because we wanted to!" Luke roared. "Your captain said he would take the fight to the government, that he would take over the world." The words just poured out, carried by a flood of memories that he had thought long forgotten. "But Milina put her life on the line to get me away from that!"

"Now because of me," Luke's shoulders trembled, "because I wanted to look for treasure in the cave at Bezeld, we ended up here and got caught by your captain. He says he cares about his crewmates, but crewmates taken by force are no better than slaves right?!"

"I don't want her to live the life I've had! And now, if I can't beat you, then you'll kill her! So I'll fight. I'll fight until she is safe. I'll fight until I get back what your captain took away!"

With a defiant roar, Luke launched another Bram Gash at Dozle's towering body.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Milina swallowed her nerves and kept both eyes on Scarlet's huge slobbery lips as she whispered her spell. Below the canopy, the battle was raging anew; she would have to face her foe alone.<p>

_"...let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the infinite. Garuk Ruhard!"_ Milina shouted the chaos words loudly enough for ape to hear.

A rippling wave of distortion appeared around Milina, frozen in time for a moment before propagating outward. Though the trees were left unmolested, the effect it had on the gorilla was clear. Scarlet clutched his head in pain and his posture sagged, allowing Milina to pull free of his grasp and take to the air.

A touch of lucidity returned to Scarlet's eyes and he stretched out a hand to recapture his prize. Milina swerved away from the clumsy grab and drifted higher, out of the ape's immediate reach. Scarlet leapt upward in another attempt to recapture his wayward prisoner, and again Milina dodged to the side, this time avoiding him by mere inches. The ape was recovering rapidly from the astral attack and Milina wouldn't have time to fire her trump card.

A instant before Scarlet was due to land, Milina hurled a flurry of icy daggers at the canopy beneath him; unable to change his trajectory, Scarlet was struck at the precise moment of landing, his legs frozen to the branches. His violent attempts to free himself simply tore the branches from their attachments, loosening his footing and giving Milina time to act.

Milina released a Rah Tilt, and a column of silent blue flames erupted around Scarlet. The ape quivered, his eyes rolled back into their sockets, and white foam dripped from the corners of his mouth. He staggered as his muscles slackened, falling back, sinking into the forest canopy. Sharp cracks could be heard as he plummeted through the branches, followed by a final dull thud.

Milina's moment of contentment was pierced by a needle of panic. The Garuk Ruhard that she had used to free herself had a wide area of effect, and her allies were closer. She dropped to the forest floor and rushed to the battlefield.

"It's been over twenty years since I've seen someone do that." Gan Fall mused when he noticed her approaching. Many of the defenders had been rendered unconscious by the spell, while those who resisted, both Gan Fall and Wiper among them, were halting and unsteady in their movements. A number of pirates had been knocked out as well, while the rest could be heard fleeing in the distance.

"What happened to the rest?" Milina gestured aimlessly as she took a seat on a protruding root. Only a few pirates had been caught by her spell, so the numbers should have tilted in their favor.

Gan Fall gave a knowing glance, which was met by Milina's confused expression.

"They fled when you used the power of the conquering king."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Even without being able to read the expressions of Dozle's transformed face, Gourry could tell that Luke's words had affected him. The mammoth pirate prediction ability failed and Luke's wind blades bit deep into his face and chest, sending him staggering back with a roar of frustration. Gourry saw the opportunity, so he ignored all the cuts and bruises he had already received and darted in.<p>

Tendrils of hair lashed out to fend him off, but now they lacked the precision, the surety that had suffused their attacks before. Gourry made careful note of the new attack pattern even as he weaved through it; gone was the coordination, the attempts to cut off his predicted avenue of escape and force him to improvise. Leaping away from a spear-tipped thread, Gourry rolled to his feet and connected with a series of slashes, finishing with a downward swing into Dozle's leg that caused him to stumble and fall to one knee.

Gourry raised his sword again but Dozle recovered quickly. He wheeled about in a fury and struck out with sledgehammer fists, pulverizing the ground with every blow. Gourry was forced back by the frenzied assault, narrowly sidestepping a blow that would have shattered his skull.

_"Abyss Flare!"_

Luke's spell set Dozle's back ablaze with a carpet of crackling flames. Dozle howled in pain and tried to smother the flames but the spell stubbornly refused to be extinguished. Luke pressed the attack, pelting the pirate with a barrage of flare arrows that left blackened pockmarks on his skin. Gourry wrinkled his nose at the acrid smell of burnt hair as he made a leaping charge, and planted his sword up to the hilt into Dozle's gut.

"Not yet." Dozle boomed. A trickle of blood flowed from his mouth, filtering into and staining the fur on his chest. Fur that was erupting outward once again, advancing in a massive brown tide fueled by what must have been the last of Dozle's stamina. Gourry abandoned his sword and vaulted back.

The ground beneath Gourry cracked and split as tendrils of hair slithered out, reaching for his legs. Dozle had generated such a massive wave to conceal the limbs that he had sent underground! Gourry twisted and kicked but it was to no avail; the tendrils seized his legs, pinned them to the ground, and snaked up his torso. Without his sword, he didn't have the strength to pull himself free.

Dozle transferred his remaining cleaver to one hand and drew back to swing, aiming to decapitate his opponent in one blow. The pirates mouth moved, as if to say something, but Gourry heard only the ringing of the blade as it sliced through the air toward his neck.

_Damn it-_

Gourry gasped as he realized he was lying on his side, freed from his restraints. _Huh?_ Though Dozle's expression had changed little, his grip on his cleaver loosened, and he staggered one, two steps, and collapsed. And on his back was Luke, a blade of energy held between his hands, thrust directly into Dozle's spine. Dozle did not scream or even cry out as his body was corroded by the malevolent energies; just laid there, staring.

"The one who stands in the end is righteous. Fitting for your final words." Luke uttered at last. He released his grip on the scarlet blade, allowing it to fizzle and fade. He jumped down and strode next to Gourry, favoring one leg as he walked but with a victorious spring in his step.

"Come on, let's go find Milina." He nudged.

Luke trudged past, but Gourry remained behind, looking into the face of his dying opponent. They had fought together, sparred with one another, but there was something deeper there as well. Here was another man who had found a purpose, something to do with his life, something that he would give his life to protect.

Staring into Dozle's eyes, Gourry could see that the violent rage that had filled them at the battle's beginning had burnt out. As the pirate's gaze lost focus, the mask fell from his face, revealing a symbol seared onto the skin of his forehead. A circle with four points arrayed around it, resembling a claw-mark made by some strange beast, forever marking its bearer as less than human.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Xellos and Shiki were moving so quickly that Lina could barely see them, a black blur clashing against gold. Xellos flickered in and out of sight, parrying and stabbing with the point of his staff. Dozens of tiny black cones swarmed around him like locusts, seeking weakness during every clash and covering Shiki with tiny cuts from every angle. His killing intent thickened the air into a stifling, choking fog.<p>

Weathering the storm, Shiki launched attacks with all four of his limbs, striking with overwhelming speed and ferocity. Golden air-slashes crowded the space around Xellos, forcing him back again and again. Great boulders orbited the battlefield and whenever Shiki cleared some distance he would fling them inward in twos and threes, trying to crush his opponent between them. Lina's eyes widened as she noted that Xellos wasn't undamaged either; patches of static marred his body, glitches in the fabric of his physical form.

A wind blade struck one of the bubbles of water clinging to the side of an island, separating it from the main volume. With a gesture, Shiki took control of the falling mass, pulling it into eight winding streams, eight serpentine bodies tipped with roaring lion heads. Xellos' jaw dropped in surprise as they coiled around him and compressed into a sphere, leaving him suspended helplessly in the center.

"I don't know what kind of Devil Fruit you're using, but every ability user has the same weakness!" Shiki howled in delight. He directed the water to move Xellos closer to the surface and hurtled forward, sword-legs extended.

"Xellos, just how useless can you get!" Lina cursed. She began the incantation for the Zelas Brid; it took a while to cast, but now that she'd seen Shiki fight seriously, it was the spell that had the best chance of hitting.

With Shiki's blades just inches from his throat, Xellos vanished and reappeared in the open air. He chuckled quietly as Shiki plunged into his own trap, the pirate's face morphing into an expression of shock. Lina beat herself a little on the inside; she had fallen for the act too. The sphere of water lost cohesion as Shiki's powers were neutralized, but enough contact was being maintained as they fell to render the pirate helpless. But it was a long way down to the cloud sea, and the mass would disperse soon enough; even if he did fall in, Lina couldn't be sure that this strange cloud-water would have the same debilitating effect.

Xellos seemed to be thinking the same thing, and warped himself down to Shiki's level. He dismissed his staff and began to build up energy in his hands.

"I can't recall ever mentioning that I was an ability user." Xellos tapped his chin. "Really, what could have given you that idea?'

Xellos unleashed his attack at point blank, midnight missiles detonating in explosions of white. Lina released her own spell, sending the ribbon of energy snaking into the chaos. A stunning amount of blood poured out from the nadir of the blasts.

"Well, I think that tidies up loose ends." Xellos said. He glanced with mild annoyance at the still-orbiting field of boulders around them before his face shifted back to its normal, disarmingly friendly expression.

"Those will make for a great story for the descendants of these people to tell." He nodded. "Anyway, I can take us safely through those." Xellos held out a hand for Lina, the air already warping around him as he prepared to teleport.

"Don't think you're done with me." Shiki's voice growled from within the remnants of the explosion. Lina gasped, but Xellos was unfettered.

"Oh, still alive after all that? I guess I can see why your crew calls you a legendary pirate." Xellos remarked flippantly. He summoned his staff and drifted forward to deal the finishing blow.

One of the orbiting boulders fell inward, and with a dismissive look, Xellos prepared to defend himself against it. As the boulder curved and missed the Mazoku by a wide margin, Lina realized that it was heading straight for her. She summoned a barrier but the impact jarred it, sending her tumbling through the air. Then two boulders fell in, then four, then eight.

Realizing what would happen, Xellos appeared at Lina's side and raised his own barrier, which smoothly repelled the first wave of projectiles. The second wave followed heedlessly and smashed against the inviolable wall. The third wave was so thick as to blot out the surroundings and the tension of maintaining the barrier was beginning to show. By the fourth wave, more glitches had appeared on Xellos' body as he strained against his limits, tears that revealed the emptiness beneath the surface. Shiki was apparently not bound by such limits; his Devil Fruit could suspend huge islands indefinitely in the air, and he could draw substrate from them endlessly.

"How the tables have turned. Quite a bad situation we're in, right Lina?" Xellos smiled, his voice clearly audible despite the pounding of the rocks. Lina recoiled as she watched a crease form over one of his eyes.

"Well? Well?! What do we do!?" Lina practically shrieked into Xellos' ear. "What about the Blast Bomb? It worked last time."

"Oh dear." Xellos held up his hands diplomatically. "I'm afraid if you did that, I may be gravely injured. You must remember that I'm confined to the physical world for the duration of our stay here. You wouldn't want to hurt a good friend like me right?"

Lina snorted. Xellos still wasn't really a friend, but he was protecting her, and would probably be helpful for the foreseeable future. She considered and discarded the idea of trying a Dragon Slave; if she aimed wrong hit a boulder, the resulting blast would definitely finish off Xellos, and it would leave her without enough time to cast again.

"Well..." Xellos began, "if you feel you're up to it, you could try the other variant of the Blast Bomb by modifying the incantation as I taught you. I can adjust my barrier to let your spell through, and then you may be able to push back this assault. What do you say?"

"Well, you know what I like to say." Lina nodded.

"And what would that be?" Xellos inquired curiously, disturbingly nonchalant even as his staff and cape eroded away.

Lina gave no response as she lifted her arms high and called upon the Demon Kings, entreating them to grant her their power once more. Flames gathered around her, condensing into a blinding brilliance that flooded through the gaps between the boulders, a radiance that would not, could not be constrained, transcending fire and becoming like the sun.

On the highest summit of Merveille's central island, Amelia stood with Zelgadis, watching the light that shined through the falling snow, flickering and dancing on the mountain slopes.

On the shores of Upper Yard, Milina's looked up at the unfolding climax, even as she pressed a glowing palm against Gourry's wounds.

On the surface of the water, Wiper lowered his bazooka, rendered utterly silent by the sight of such radiance. Even the fleeing pirates, crowded onto a handful of battered ships, could do naught but stare at the clash between supreme powers.

"In a battle like this, you can do, or you can die!" Lina smiled. She swept her arms outward and the gathering light condensed into countless luminous sparks.

_"Blast Bomb!"_

In an instant the pinpoints flew outward, expanding into fist-sized orbs of flame as they left the boundary of Xellos' barrier. A pandemonium of explosions devoured Shiki's boulders, burning them to cinders and clearing the line of attack.

"Hey Shiki!" Lina shouted, calling through the smoke and fire, and over the cacophonous blasts that roared around her.

"This is my decision! This... is my justice!"

With a gesture, Lina directed the remaining fireballs forward in their thousands, and wherever they struck, all resistance was swept aside and made as nothing.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>From within a floating fortress of stone, Shiki sat wordlessly, listening to the explosions thundering against his walls. He thought back to his first defeat, twenty two years ago, by a pirate from East Blue. East Blue, where he had forcibly recruited this gaggle of miscreants, who he himself had made into pirates.<p>

_Am I going to be defeated again by a pirate from East Blue?_

As all matter in his fortress was annihilated and his vision filled with white, it was all Shiki could do to howl his name.

"**Roger!**"

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Longer chapter than usual, second to last in the Strong World Arc. If you have any questions about any of the pseudo-OCs in this arc, lemme know and I'll do my best to answer.


	8. Chapter 8 - To the Blue Sea

**Chapter 7: Blaze of Glory**

**Strong World Arc**

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

* * *

><p>"Admiral! Pirates have appeared at the Summit of High West!"<p>

Lounging on a beach recliner on the battleship's deck, Kuzan lifted the corner of his sleep mask with a finger and blinked sleepily at the ensign before him.

"Don't get so worked up." He pronounced, raising his free hand in a placating gesture. "Vice Admiral Momonga is in that area isn't he? I don't really feel like capturing anyone today, so just let him know that he has my permission to… how should I put it… just do whatever he wants."

Taking a moment to rearrange his overcoat, which he had folded into a makeshift cushion, Kuzan settled back down to his rest. He had earned the ire of his superiors when he investigated matters on Long Ring Island without notice, and he had been hoping to mollify them by taking on an assignment. But really, couldn't they have seen fit to give him a less troublesome task?

"Admiral!"

Another minute, another interruption.

"Admiral! You have to look at this!" his subordinate exhorted again.

Kuzan rotated to a sitting position, his every movement devoid of motivation, and shifted his sleeping mask aside. Accepting the lieutenant's offer of binoculars, the admiral of "lazy justice" took a moment to stretch his neck, then scanned the skies where his subordinate had pointed. Through the magnification, he could just make out something falling...

Kuzan's languid expression hardened and his countenance shifted at once, his aura rising to an intensity that befitted a man praised as one of the Navy's greatest powers. Frost began to form on his body, spots of rime crystallizing over his fingers and crawling across his clothing with muted cracks. Waves of freezing mist drifted from the icy patches, pooling along the grooves running across the battleship's deck.

"Leave the ship here and wait for further orders." Kuzan commanded, standing up to his full, imposing height. "I'll be back in a moment."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"So this is the artifact that the pirates were after." Zelgadis mumbled to no one in particular, running a finger over the grooves and indentations carved into the block. Its material was unlike anything he had seen before; when tapped, it made a sound like stone, but despite the obvious age of the golden belfry within which it was embedded, there was not a single chip or scratch to be found on its surface.<p>

Zelgadis noted that some of the symbols and fragments thereof were repeated across the text. Even at a glance, it was clear that the carvings upon the block were some sort of writing.

"Hey Lina, do you have any idea how to decode this?" Zelgadis shifted to look at his friends. Standing behind him, Gourry and Amelia reciprocated his gaze with blank stares, but Lina was nowhere to be seen. Investigating, Zelgadis found the sorceress wrapped around a corner of the golden belfry, her face frozen in a stupefied expression.

"Gold… gold… gold…" Lina was mumbling, a stream of saliva trickling from one corner of her mouth. Zelgadis sighed. She was not going to be of any use in this state. And was she rubbing a cheek against the monument?

"Maybe I can be of help." A voice spoke from behind them.

Zelgadis fought the urge to draw up his hood and turned toward the source of the voice; an elderly man, hair and beard white with age, who leaned slightly on his staff as he ambled toward them. Reclusive by nature, the chimera had yet to familiarize himself with the sky island's inhabitants, but from the man's dress, it was clear that he was a leader of some sort.

"Not so long ago, another group passed through Skypeia." The chief continued, "And there was one among them who knew the meaning of these symbols. Although she did not tell us the full meaning, nor did we care to learn it, I can relay some of her words to you if you wish."

"Hold your true motive in your hearts, and do not speak of it." The chief began to recite, and as he spoke, a second voice joined with his, one that Zelgadis was all too familiar with.

"We are the ones who weave history, with the sounding of the great belfry."

"That is what it says, right?" Xellos concluded, giving a cheerful wave from atop the monument's remaining pillar.

"Xellos!" Zelgadis exclaimed, glowering at the Mazoku. If there was one thing he could guarantee, it was that Xellos always had ulterior motives in mind when he offered his 'help'.

"Hello!" Xellos gestured as if tipping an unseen hat, pointedly ignoring Zelgadis' obvious hostility. "Anyway, was what I read an accurate translation of the text?"

"Could it be… you can understand these characters as well?" The chief replied, astonished.

"Good! Good!" Xellos smiled, clasping his hands together. "Now that we're clear on that, would you like to hear the rest?"

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Visualize the light, and repeat the words." Milina lectured patiently. She stretched out a hand and swept it through a shaft of light that percolated into the clearing, allowing the glare to reflect off her palm for emphasis.<p>

"L-light which burns beyond crimson flame," Aisa whispered nervously, "let thy power gather in my hand. L-lighting?"

The other children craned their necks to look but no light appeared between the Shandian girl's cupped hands. Milina knew well the difficulties involved in learning one's first spell; the mental exercises involved were hard to grasp for many initiates. Still, the girl was catching on remarkably quickly; magical energies were flowing, if not quite at a level sufficient to produce a visible effect. Within an hour, she had arrived at a point that most ordinary sorcerers would reach only after days of rigorous study.

Milina shot a glance at Luke, who stood off to one side of the clearing. Since the day she met him, Luke had been a rather self-centered man, and his lack of interest was plain to see. He had only come, entirely unasked, as part of another ridiculous and transparent attempt to impress her. What a hopeless buffoon.

"Again, but with confidence." Milina encouraged the girl.

Aisa inhaled deeply and chanted the lines again. As she spoke the power words, a glimmer of light shined between her palms, enduring for but a moment, but clearly visible to all. A wave of excitement spread through the remaining children and they clamored to hear the spell words again.

"H-oh. Quite remarkable." Gan Fall nodded approvingly from his seat atop a fallen log. "Maybe even I should give it a try." He laughed, a sincere, heartfelt laugh that emanated from the pit of his stomach.

"She learns fast." Milina replied as Aisa invoked the spell again, this time managing to conjure a brightly glowing spark that endured for several seconds.

"But if you don't mind my asking," Milina inquired, "what did you mean when you said I had used the 'power of the conquering king'."

"Twenty years ago a blue sea pirate by the name of Roger came to Skypeia." Gan Fall began. He smiled while he spoke, as if he were recalling a set of wonderful memories.

"Roger wielded that power, the color of the conqueror, the power to dominate weaker wills and suppress them. It was a power that I believed was like no other. But now that you have come, and shown us what you know, I am no longer so sure."

Milina furrowed her brow. What Gan Fall had described was undoubtedly an astral side attack, but if the humans of this world had no knowledge of sorcery, how was it that they could do such things? Luke had relayed as well the events of his battle against Shiki's subordinate, who could accurately forecast his intentions without even looking. Milina made a note to investigate these abilities more thoroughly should they encounter them in the future.

Gan Fall chuckled. "There is still much we don't understand about our world."

Milina replied with a light smile.

"Ours too."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"An ancient weapon, 'Poseidon', named after a god." Lina nodded, having come back to her senses. She pounded a fist into an open palm to emphasize the point.<p>

"This is exactly what we've been looking for!"

Gold was sweet, but defacing the sacred monument of the sky islanders for something like that wouldn't have sat well with anyone. And the chance to acquire an ancient artifact was infinitely the sweeter.

"Really?" Gourry blurted thoughtlessly. "What would we want to do with an ancient weapon?" Standing dumbly to one side, the blonde swordsman's attentions were already drifting elsewhere.

"Don't act like this is none of your business!" Lina accused. "This whole journey to look for a new sword, this is all for you you know!"

"Whatever." She huffed. "Even if you're fine with a regular weapon, I won't be able to rest easy until you have a magic sword. Especially if we're going to be stuck in this world."

"And even if it's not a magic sword, maybe it'll be something that can help turn Mr. Zelgadis' body back to normal." Amelia added.

"Maybe." Zelgadis replied. "Well it's not like we're doing a whole lot of good sitting around here."

"Alright then it's settled!" Lina exhorted. "Get one of the pirate ships ready, and we'll set sail as soon as possible!"

As Gourry and the others hurried away to prepare for departure, Lina noticed out of the corner of her eye that there was another set of markings, smaller and crudely carved into the soft gold of the belfry. It was obvious even at a glance that these had been engraved by someone other than the monument's creators.

"What's this say here Xellos?" Lina scuffed the carvings with a boot.

Xellos scratched his chin and leaned down to read.

"Hmm, these symbols seem to translate as, 'I made it here, and I will guide this text to the ends of the earth. Pirate Gol D. Roger.'" Xellos shrugged his shoulders with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What do you suppose that means, Lina?"

"Doesn't sound like anything too important for us." Lina sniffed. She glanced at the others, who had already faded to small dots on the sky island's winding coastline.

"By the way young lady," the Shandian chief proposed, "from your reaction, you wanted gold right?"

A blush formed at the tips of Lina's ears, spreading until her earlobes were dyed a rosy red.

"Would you happen to have some that I could take off your hands?" She turned to the chief, her face covered with an expression of barely-contained glee.

"Well, we cannot give you the bell," the chief nodded, smiling, "but we left one of its broken pillars resting at the ruins nearby. You're planning to leave so soon, but we have to show our gratitude somehow."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"A little to the left." Lina directed. "Little more Gourry."<p>

The pillar that the sky islanders had offered was far too large for any of the ships to carry safely, so they had been forced to slice off the upper sixth of its length to take away. Moving the block with earth magic had been the easy part, but once they reached the shore, the mass still needed to be raised onto a ship. And that was where Lina's plan came in. Some would have called it crazy, but Lina had plenty of ways to put those types in their place.

At Lina's direction, they had constructed a makeshift crane using earth magic and the great trees of the island, strong enough to hoist the gold onto one of the abandoned pirate ships. The ship's cargo door was not wide enough to accommodate the block, while leaving it on the deck would have made them a target for just about anyone they met on the high seas, so a larger opening had to be cut out before the gold could be lowered into the hold. It was quite a delicate operation. If the block was released into the opening from a little too high, or dropped onto the remainder of the deck itself, it would sink the ship and plummet through the cloud layers into the blue sea below. Even though she couldn't have the entire pillar for now, Lina's heart ached at the very idea of just throwing away gold like this. And with only a few serviceable ships left, they had a limit on how many attempts they could make.

Lina giggled to herself. Growing up, she had been fed a steady diet of tales from her parents' adventuring days; and her undisputed favorites were the stories of gallant princes and their majestic, shining castles. Handsome princes were no longer a priority, but the dream of living in a castle was still one that Lina held near and dear to her heart. And if they could get this block of gold home, she could commission a manse so grand that it would put even the Saillune Royal Palace to shame. It would have a sparkling marble-tiled pool, and jewel-encrusted carriages drawn by teams of white horses and servants attending to her every whim. Lina giggled again. A girl's gotta dream, right?

Zelgadis and Amelia nervously eyed the makeshift crane they had fashioned on the shore as Gourry tugged hard on the structure's ropes, swinging its arm over the ship's deck and causing the wooden frame to groan under the weight it was hauling. The golden block slid down, vanishing into the opening, and a dull thud indicated that it had made contact with the inner hull. At Lina's signal, Gourry released the ropes, taking a moment to wipe away the sweat that had formed on his forehead. Lina found herself nibbling the fingertip of her glove as the ship sank lower into the white cloud sea. The gentle waves lapping at its sides now threatened to spill into the vessel's gunports; those would have to be boarded up later. It seemed even the birds had gone silent as everyone waited to see what would happen.

"Alright, it worked!" Lina declared at last, pumping a fist triumphantly into the air. "You got it on the first try. Good job Gourry!"

"That's Miss Lina for you!" Amelia added, eliciting a chuckle from Zelgadis.

For his part, Gourry mostly looked relieved to be praised. Though he didn't care much for gold beyond what was necessary to pay for dinner, he wasn't looking forward to being on the receiving end of Lina's wrath should he screw up.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>With the treasure secured, work on the ship continued well into the evening. The ship's sails were pockmarked with blackened holes, burned into them by the searing ashes spawned from Lina's volcanic clash with Shiki. The frontmost mast sported a fracture, and was barely remaining standing. The boards they had removed in order to lower the gold into the hold needed to be replaced, so they could have an intact deck to walk on. The weight of the gold itself was causing the hull to spring a multitude of tiny leaks; its pressure needed to be distributed more evenly across the length of the ship's spine. And the Golden Lion Pirates' jolly roger was a hideous, stylized caricature of their captain's wild golden mane; it went without saying that that had to go.<p>

Luke and Milina rejoined the group, and word began to spread that the blue sea dwellers were preparing to leave. Soon, sky islanders were appearing, arriving in ones and twos at first, growing into a steady trickle until a large crowd had gathered on the shore. Quarry workers volunteered their skills and their tools; wooden scaffolds to help repair hard-to-reach places and great smooth-bladed saws to carve out chunks of wood with methodical precision. Seamstresses worked to patch the tattered sails, and the broken mast was wrapped with an iron sheet, which the donor claimed was the "king of iron sheets". Fishermen arrived with their harvests, and as construction neared completion, and the heavenly aromas of sky seafood wafted through the air, the attentions of all who had gathered began to shift toward what they were making.

"Whoa! This is great!" Lina exclaimed as the juice of the conache melon washed over her tongue, spreading its light, sweet taste around her mouth. She hugged the odd, square-shaped melon closer, drained its contents in a single gulp, then ran to rejoin the banquet. As she roamed through the crowd, sampling the myriad of foods being offered, Lina spotted Zelgadis, who was biting enthusiastically into a glistening hunk of sky lobster meat. Even the naturally taciturn Milina could hardly conceal her shock at the exquisite flavors sky islanders' cuisine. Only Xellos was absent from the festivities, but as a Mazoku, he didn't need to eat anyway.

"Here Mr. Zelgadis, these pretty good." Amelia offered.

"This octopus over here is pretty good too."

"Don't eat the whole thing Gourry! Leave some of that fish for me!"

"What are you talking about Lina? Food goes bad if you don't eat it fast!"

"Hey Gourry! I grabbed all of these for myself!"

"Haven't you ever heard of the word restraint Lina?!"

"What do you think you're doing! Let go! Gimme!"

"You know, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we left in the morning."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>It was just after dawn, all was quiet along the shores of Upper Yard. The celebrations had lasted well into the night, and none of the exhausted partygoers would be up for hours. A morning mist filled the sky and all the crevices below, scattering the sun's dawning rays, dampening every surface it touched and imbuing the air with a crisp and refreshing quality.<p>

"Is that the last of it Amelia?" Zelgadis asked, leaning over the ship's railing to look.

"Yeah, if we take any more food, I don't think the ship's going to be able to keep floating." Amelia replied, dropping a barrel onto the deck with a heavy thud. She paused to dust off her hands, then hefted the container over a shoulder, moving to stack it atop others piled at the aft of the ship. Leaning against the central mast, Gourry was snoring blissfully, while Lina paced around him, moving with twitchy, jittery energy.

"There you are!" Lina jabbed an accusing finger as Milina and Luke emerged from the treeline, accompanied by a trio of sky islanders.

"I had half a mind to just sail away without you!"

"Shaddap! You're noisy!" Luke jumped immediately to his partner's defense. "Milina was finishing up something important."

"Important? And just what was so important that you would..."

Lina's voice trail off as she noticed the young girl lagging at the back of the group, and the pale ball of light held gingerly between her tiny, cupped hands.

"No way!" Lina remarked. "Did you just teach her Lighting?"

"Well, we spent some time yesterday too." Milina replied, smirking. Invoking a Levitation, she glided smoothly onto the ship's deck, followed closely by Luke. The sails were unfurled, expanding as they caught a draft, and with a creaking groan, the ship glided across the white cloud sea. Behind them, the three islanders boarded a sail-less, four-seated boat, which zoomed past with a soft buzz, guiding the way toward Cloud's End.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Until next time." Milina said, giving Gan Fall, Wiper and Aisa a nod and a light smile. To her back, the magnificent gate of Cloud's End loomed high, marking the edge of the pure white sea. A swift current lapped at the ship's sides, pulling the anchor chain taut against its fastening.<p>

"You guys take care of yourselves!" Luke added with a wave. "And as for us, our journey of love will continue!"

"Not of love." Milina cut in. "But it will continue nonetheless."

"Come back and visit some day! We'll never forget you!" Aisa called with hands cupped over her mouth.

"We'll definitely return for the rest of that gold!" Lina declared.

"Now make sure you fold up your sails and hold on tight during the drop." Gan Fall urged, a warm smile spreading across his face.

Sails were furled and the anchor was hauled onto deck, freeing the ship to be carried along by the rushing current. The shadow cast by the gate zoomed overhead as the vessel slid easily down the cloud-water ramp.

"Say, did anyone else notice something odd?" Xellos remarked, appearing suddenly on the deck. "Or was I the only one that heard him say 'drop'?"

Excitement was eclipsed by panic as the ramp fell away, exposing the blue sea far below, giving the group a glimpse of just how literal Cloud's End was. A moment of stillness, and the ship began to plummet, while the crew held on for dear life. Cloud layers flashed past, each one swifter than the last.

Lina was the first to come to her senses, summoning a Raywing around herself, but rather than fly away to safety, she directed the spell downward, attempting to enter the ship's hold.

"Save the gold if it's the last thing you do!" She screamed hoarsely, struggling to be heard over the howling of the wind. A high-pitched whistle from above joined the shrieking chorus.

A great shadow passed over the ship, cast by a colossal cephalopod that exploded from the clouds, seizing the vessel in its limbs and inflating its rubbery body. Milina raised a hand, prepared to strike it with a Freeze Bullet, but found herself being thrown against the deck as the ship's downward plunge came to a halt. She heard a surprised yelp from the starboard side as Lina overshot, rocketing past the suddenly stabilized vessel.

"Milina are you hurt?" Luke rushed to her aid. Half-heartedly brushed off his advances, Milina stared up, eyes wide with surprise.

"Oh, what happened." Amelia climbed to her feet, nursing a bruise that had formed on her head.

"Strange as it may seem," Zelgadis replied. "I think that octopus is going to float us down."

"Whoa." Lina gaped, drifting back onto the deck. "It's like an octopus-balloon."

As the only member of the group who couldn't fly, Gourry had wrapped himself around the ship's main mast during the initial jolt of terror. At last, sensing that the danger was over, he released his hold with a sigh of relief.

As Milina studied the strange creature that was their savior, she noticed a flash of light emanating from Cloud's End, refracting off the sea spray that gathered there and forming a short-lived rainbow that arched over the gate. Another second flash appeared, and third. It was the Lighting spell she had taught, shortened to a momentary burst, a final farewell from their newfound friends.

"That girl's not half bad." Lina remarked, picking up on the significance of the signal as well. "You know I'm a pretty well-known instructor in certain guild branches, and when we go back for the rest of that gold, I should teach that kid some real magic."

"Er…" Amelia started. "You're not thinking about teaching her the Dragon Slave right?"

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Wiper what's wrong?" Aisa asked, taking note of the Shandian warrior's melancholy as Gan Fall steered their dial boat back onto the lift. It was not an emotion borne of goodbyes, but something that seethed and burned at his insides.<p>

"It's not as if I'm not grateful." Wiper choked out through gritted teeth. "But look at what has happened to our land."

"So much of our vearth… annihilated!"

Aisa could comprehend his anguish. Nearly half of Upper Yard had been razed during the battle's opening moves, either vaporized entirely or reduced to a lifeless hellscape of blackened ashes and surreal, twisting glass. As the strongest warrior who had sworn to defend the sacred vearth, Wiper's pride would not allow him to detach himself from this tragedy.

Aisa glanced at Gan Fall as the lift stopped at the White-White Sea, and watched as the old man raised his arm and waved in a seemingly random direction. She turned to look, and recoiled in horror.

A colossal mantis soared over the rolling sea surface, its buzzing wings kicking up a spray of white cloud water. Four spindly legs dangled behind its long, thin body, and the creature cocked its head, regarding them with its blank, multi-faceted eyes. One of Shiki's monsters that had ravaged the remnants of Upper Yard.

Sitting beside Aisa, Wiper tensed. He was not carrying any of his dial-based arsenal, and should the creature elect to attack, they would be defenseless.

"It's alright." Gan Fall reassured from the driver's seat, noting the apprehension of his two passengers. Taking in his words, Aisa realized that she could feel no hostility emanating from the beast. Indeed, when she squinted her eyes, she could see the great insect returning the old man's greeting, waving back with one clawed forelimb. It buzzed away, fading into the morning mist.

The sun climbed higher, and the morning fog pulled away, revealing that the great mantis had come to rest upon the shore of a second island. Without the support of their master, the pirates' floating territories had plunged into the White-White sea, where they had drifted and collided, coalescing into a single, nearly contiguous landmass. Some areas sported lush jungles, filled with the raucous calls of countless tropical birds. Others were dominated by searing deserts, where the air shimmered and warped in the scorching heat haze. Forests whose leaves reddened with the onset of fall lay beside fields whose flowers bloomed in vivacious splendor to welcome the coming of spring. A proud, snow-capped mountain range towered high above all else, crowning the apex of the new island.

Aisa looked on as the corners off Wiper's mouth curled up into a genuine smile. The expression looked so unnatural.

There was more vearth there than they had ever imagined.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> And that's a wrap on the Strong World Arc. A new arc proceeds in the next chapter.


	9. Chapter 9 - Storm and Strike

**Chapter 9: Storm and Strike****  
><strong>

**Cipher Pol Arc**

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Marshall D. Teach watched with a sick, leering grin as the hapless townsfolk scattered before him, like frightened mice before a predator. Behind him, his crew marched to his pace, hauling bulging sacks overflowing with plundered jewelry and valuables.<p>

Teach stooped down, scooping up a copy of the morning's newspaper from the town's paved dirt road. The new age was approaching fast, and every passing day promised new and exciting events. He unrolled the wad between his hands, and scanned the contents of the front page.

"Zehahahaha!" Teach could not help but guffaw out loud at the news.

"Have a good look at this you guys!" He exclaimed, shoving the paper into Van Augur's hands. "The Marines finally caught up to him! That Shiki was always plotting something; I really wondered what he was up to for all these years after he vanished from the old man's boat. It looks like he's finally met his match!"

"Golden Lion Shiki is the only prisoner to ever have escaped from Impel Down." Lafitte said knowingly. "But I don't think it's very likely that he'll be able to get away a second time."

"The old legends are falling, one after another." Augur added. "Even they cannot escape from the clutches of fate."

Teach licked his lips in anticipation. It had been a really long time since he'd seen that old geezer. He couldn't wait.

"Come on men!" He waved. "Prepare to set sail for Water 7!"

"But captain!" Burgess grumbled. "It's been four days since the Straw Hats ran wild over Enies Lobby! Do you really think we can still catch them at Water 7?"

"Water 7 isn't far from here." Augur replied. "We should arrive by tomorrow if we depart immediately."

"Then it's all up to the whims of fate." Doc Q nodded. Covering his mouth with a sleeve of his coat, the doctor launched into a violent coughing fit, and then slumped down with a pained expression, laying his cheek against the back of his loyal horse.

"Of course we're going!" Teach ordered, his tone brooking no room for argument. "Get ready, because we're about to get busy."

"Hey!" A familiar voice called out, interrupting the crew's preparations. "Hold it right there Teach! I've been looking for you."

Teach paused, scanning the empty streets before pinpointing the speaker; a solitary figure crouched upon a nearby rooftop. The rest of his crew followed the direction of their captain's gaze. There was not one among them who didn't grasp the severity of the situation, and for a moment, they stood together in silence.

"Oh! Ace! Commander!" Teach broke the calm, warmly greeting the Second Division Commander as he had done so many times in the past.

"Don't call me 'commander' again." Ace chided, tilting the brim of his hat upward to cast his glare directly at Teach. "That word should be reserved for people you respect. Don't think you can mock me."

"Ah, you must be the infamous 'Fire Fist' Ace." Laffitte said.

"Yeah, that's me. Nice to meet you." Ace returned the greeting.

"I see you've spent this time well, and become a pretty decent captain in your own right." He continued. "Marshall D. Teach, captain of the Blackbeard Pirates."

"Jeez, Ace! I haven't seen you in ages!" Teach smiled. "So what's going on? How did you know I was here?"

"Teach, let's cut the idle chitchat." Ace replied. "You took a man's life, so you should know quite well why I'm here, having lived twice as long as I have. Isn't that right?"

"Ahh, I get it. But let me say something first." Teach brushed off the implied threat. Of course, he knew perfectly well why Ace had come; murdering a crewmate was the biggest crime one could commit on a pirate ship. After he fled, he had even heard rumors now and then that a member of the Whitebeards was in pursuit. Yet his persistent smile stretched even wider.

After all, he and Ace had been good friends back on Whitebeard's ship, hadn't they? More than once, they had even saved each others lives during the harsh battles against rival crews in the New World. Perhaps Ace's coming was an opportunity. Maybe the Second Division Commander could be brought around to his way. To be a pirate was to be free after all; free, even from the bonds of morality.

"What do you say, Ace? Why don't you come onto my boat?" Teach offered. "Join my crew and seize the world with me! I've already planned my rise to power! Whitebeard's era is over and I'll become the next Pirate King! For starters, I'm going to Water 7 right now to kill Straw Hat Luffy, so I can give his head as a gift to the government!"

"Luffy? What did you say?" Ace's eyes narrowed.

"What? Do you know him?"

"Another reason I can't let you go free." Ace pronounced. "He's my younger brother!"

"And as for becoming one of your crewmates…" Ace paused as if considering the idea, standing composed as a trio of bullets passed harmlessly through his body.

"I won't."

Teach blinked once in surprise and opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. Standing behind their captain, the Blackbeard Pirates tensed in anticipation. Negotiations were over.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina moaned and slumped against the ship's railing. They had launched off from Cloud's End no later than noon, but now the sky was beginning to darken. And although they had drifted for much of the day, the ocean below didn't look much closer than before, just a monotonous blue backdrop broken by a handful of small, dark spots. Lina almost wished they could just fall the rest of the way, before she died of boredom.<p>

"So assuming for a moment that this 'ancient weapon' really exists," Luke struck up a conversation, one that they really needed to have, "what do you two plan to do with it?"

Lina glanced at Gourry, who was standing at the front of the ship, nibbling on a piece of fish and staring idly at something below.

"We're after the weapon to use it." Lina replied. "And you guys?"

"Well," Luke held out his empty hands, "I guess I'm in the market for a new weapon now, so you could say the same for us."

It was a situation that she had been hoping to avoid. The two of them were after the same thing now, and with only one weapon, there was no way to divide the spoils. No way, unless she could persuade him to take a second option.

"How about selling the weapon to us?" Lina offered. "Come on, I'll pay you five hundred and thirty copper coins for exclusive rights."

"What? Five hundred and thirty copper coins?" Judging from Luke's dumbfounded expression, he wasn't convinced. "You just took a block of gold from the sky island, and you'll only part with five hundred and thirty copper coins?"

"That's right. Quite a bargain, don't you think?" Lina pressed.

"A bargain?" Luke repeated, clear disbelief in his voice.

"I'll have you know," Lina continued, "that Gourry here handed over a very impressive sword for just five hundred and fifty, though I don't have it any more. I can't pay you more than that for an ancient weapon whose properties we don't even know."

"I never did that!" Gourry shouted back from the front of the ship.

"Hey Gourry! Just whose side are you on?" Lina shot Gourry a venomous glare to shut him up. Why did his memory have to be crystal clear on this one damnable topic?

"Depending on what it does," Luke leaned back, "maybe I'd be willing to sell it for five hundred and thirty billion."

Lina scowled. Who the hell did this guy think he was, putting up such outrageous numbers.

"How about this." Luke suggested. "We'll join forces until we get to the location. If we get there and the weapon's still there, first side to lay their hands on it gets it. Losers give up, no complaining."

After a brief contemplation, Lina found herself making a mumbled noise of agreement. If they were going to be on a ship together in this foreign world, the crew couldn't afford to have any infighting erupting between its members.

_The crew and its members._ It surprised Lina how easily she slipped into this line of thought. Yes, they were going to be together for the rest of this ordeal, for better or for worse.

"It's settled then." She said. "A truce until this whole thing is over."

"By the way, where did that tablet say the weapon was anyway?" Luke asked, his expression betraying his sudden realization that he had overlooked a crucial detail.

"Some place called Fishman Island." Lina replied. She blanched slightly at the thought.

The information Zelgadis obtained had identified Fishman Island as resting somewhere on the eastern end of the Grand Line region. They had heard Shiki confirm their entrance into this region, so now it was just a matter of sailing east toward their goal. Lina reached into a pouch and withdrew her compass.

"What the?!" She cried.

Though the ship's facing was holding steady, the compass needle had gone wild, pivoting rapidly around its base, stopping and starting, even reversing direction seemingly at random. It probably wasn't the fault of the compass; it was just a piece of magnetic metal, no ifs, ands or buts. That left magnetic anomalies as an explanation. Such irregularities sometimes appeared in areas with high concentrations of ambient magic, although she had never seen one as intense as this before.

Lina put the compass away, replacing it with a crystal globe which she laid onto the deck. Closing her eyes, she spoke the words of power to activate the device.

Again, her instrument failed. The four rays of light projected from the edges of the sphere should have lined up with the four cardinal directions, but like the compass needle, they spun uncontrollably about, flickering and flashing, even overlapping one another at times. This meant that even the region's ley lines were in a state of flux.

Lina sunk deep into thought. There were only a few things she could think of that could be responsible for what she was seeing. The Giga Slave was one. The first time she had cast it, the chaotic spell had unmade an entire bay, reducing it to a broken, colorless waste where no living thing would ever grow again.

She dismissed that thought from her mind. In a world that knew nothing of sorcery, it was just not possible. But if not that, then perhaps-

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina didn't know how long she sat on the deck, buried in her thoughts. She'd been doing that a lot lately. As much as she hated to admit it, there was no denying that she bore at least some of the responsibility for getting everyone stuck in this world.<p>

"Hey Lina, aren't those battleships down there?" Gourry asked.

Gourry's words snapped her out of her stupor. A quick glance over the side revealed the same scene as before, but she knew better than to question Gourry's senses.

"If you knew there were enemy ships down there, why didn't you say something sooner?" Lina demanded.

"Enemies?" Gourry asked confusedly. "But I thought Marines were pretty nice people."

"Things have changed you idiot." Lina replied. "If you recall, I have a 65 million bounty on my head. If we drift down there, you can bet the Marines will try to arrest us."

"And all of my hard-earned gold… gone!" She added in a softer voice, with a few sniffles included for effect.

And there was no way she was having any of that.

Lina whipped through the ship like a whirlwind, sweeping through the cabin where Amelia, Zelgadis and Milina were resting and rousing them from their idleness. Outside on the deck, the men unfurled the sails, which flapped gently in the evening breeze.

With a gesture, she invoked a Bomb di Wind, sending a gust of pressurized air into the ship's sails. The sudden impulse nearly threw her to the ground, and she shot out an arm to steady herself; she'd forgotten that they were in the air. Stretched above the mast, the octopus balloon swayed precariously.

Fiery copper hair whipping to and fro in the wind, Lina noted wryly that their sudden movement had attracted unwanted attention. Though they could hardly expect to keep up with her airspeed, the Marine battleships had spotted her and were entering pursuit, trailing long wakes behind them as they cut across the sea surface.

Lina fought down the urge to simply annihilate the fleet, and threw another blast of wind into the sails. But something was strange. Although they were moving much faster than their waterbound pursuers, the battleships actually looked larger and clearer than before. Already, she could make out the towering masts that jutted from their decks, and green-painted hulls bristling with cannons.

Forming her thumbs and pointer fingers into an approximation of a rectangle, Lina held her hands over her head, positioning the octopus right in the center. A noise halfway between a cough and a squeak escaped from her throat.

"Hey guys we've got trouble!" Lina announced, drawing a round of stares. "This octopus is shrinking!"

"Now that you mention it, it's definitely smaller than when we left Cloud's End." Zelgadis said, raising a protractor to his eye. "The momentum from your spell must have made it lose some air."

Then, measuring the angle down to the pursuing ships, he added, "We're going to have to shed some weight if we want to stay in the air. If we don't, we'll land within range of those cannons."

"Oh, no you don't." Lina interjected. "There is no way I'm giving up any of this gold that I worked so hard for."

Invoking a Levitation, she drifted over the side, adjusting her trajectory to hover beside the deck. Now that she was in control of her own course, Lina could feel how quickly they were descending; they'd be in the air for only a few more minutes, if even that. She raised her hands and took aim at their pursuers, magical energy gathering at her fingertips.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia pleaded over the rush of wind. "If you destroy those ships, your bounty will go even higher!"

"I know that!" Lina shouted back. "I just wanna get these guys to stop chasing us!"

She cast her spell; Vice Freeze was the strongest known water spell castable by humans, the icy counterpart of Burst Flare. She watched the frigid missile streak down, blossoming into a jagged iceberg on the ocean surface that swallowed the bow of the leading ship.

The two remaining ships were undeterred, replying with a thudding cannonade. A wave of Flare Arrows detonated the cannonballs in midair, and Lina looked back to see that Luke had joined the battle. Milina followed after, striking the battleships' paddle wheels with icy blasts, stopping them completely. A blast of wind from Zelgadis sent their own ship soaring, and soon their immobilized pursuers vanished over the horizon.

And it was just as well; they had fallen low enough that Lina could make out the faint glimmers of moonlight reflecting off the waves on the ocean's surface. Still stretched over the mast, the octopus had shrunk to little more than an elongated tube, providing barely enough lift to keep the ship from freefalling.

"Everyone hold on tight!" Lina called to the others still on deck. "You're about to hit water!"

The ship slammed into the waves, bobbing and swaying, soaking the deck with a spray of salty sea water. The impact jostled the octopus from its grip, and with a rubbery snap it relinquished its hold, spiraling through the air like a leaking balloon before landing with a wet plop. Now little bigger than a person's head, it almost looked cute.

"Bye-bye Mr. Octopus!" Amelia scooped up the slimy creature, carrying it to the railing and releasing it into the water. She waved, and it returned the gesture with a raised tentacle before slipping beneath the waves.

"Hey, what'd you do that for Amelia?" Lina poked. Then she added, only half-jokingly, "I was going to eat that."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Kuzan covered his mouth and yawned as he pedaled across the sea. It was the dead of night and the soft, rhythmic crack of newly formed ice beneath his rims was making him drowsy.<p>

"Oh, excuse me, just passing through." Kuzan waved to a gaggle of curious sea animals, who had probably never seen a human riding a bicycle over the water before. The ocean air wasn't doing his bicycle's frame any favors; the wheels were getting squeakier by the day. At least the assignment was nearing its end.

Shiki's capture had more than alleviated his superiors' anger at his earlier indiscretion. Sengoku himself was particularly pleased; the Fleet Admiral viewed Shiki as his personal nemesis from the previous era, similar to Garp's former relationship with Roger. There would be an awards ceremony once he returned to headquarters, commendations given out for the capture of such a notorious pirate. Kuzan briefly considered not attending.

After all, he hadn't really been responsible for the Flying Pirate's defeat. Shiki had, quite literally, fallen into his lap, bruised, burned and half dead. Someone up in the sky had accomplished what the Marines had not in two decades.

Kuzan reminded himself why he had come. There were reports on the fleet's eastern patrol route of an attack by some sort of flying ship, but it wouldn't do to break the formation, in case more pirates came down. Thus, he had reluctantly volunteered to investigate himself.

Silently, he reviewed the list of pirates that his fleet had captured. Of Shiki's high profile subordinates, veteran captains "Iron Mammoth" Dozle and "Demon Cannon" Tomie remained at large, along with his chief scientist Indigo and the new recruit, "Pink Sorceress" Lina. What was troubling him was that while the former three had been members of Shiki's fleet since Roger's era, the latter was a complete enigma. Background checks revealed nothing, save for some strange incidents in East Blue, and the recruit had made her fame with an assault on a slave trading post that somehow resulted in the disappearance of the entire island without a trace. It was a sucker's bet that her presence had something to do with all this.

The sixty five million beli bounty was just an initial offer; simply joining the Golden Lion Pirates in such a manner merited at least that much, and the committee at headquarters would be ready to raise it again at any hint of trouble. Already, the worst generation of rookie pirates on record was gathering at Sabaody, set to surge into the New World almost simultaneously. The Marines would do well to keep an eye out for any more of these upstarts.

Squinting his eyes, Kuzan spotted the silhouette of a lone battleship, barely visible against the dim light. Approaching, he noticed that it had been immobilized, its frontmost section embedded in a great jagged chunk of ice.

The strange sight piqued his interest. These were Grand Line Marines, the best of the lot; Kuzan didn't think they would be incompetent to enough to ram an iceberg at full speed. Plus, that ice formation looked decidedly unnatural.

"My, oh my," Kuzan said, pulling up alongside the ship's port side, "what happened to you guys?"

"Admiral sir!" The ship's captain saluted. "We were pursuing the flying ship when something struck the water ahead of us and created this block of ice. The two remaining ships have been immobilized by ice as well, just up ahead."

Immobilized by ice? Created? Curious and curiouser, but the time for pondering was later.

Kuzan looked up at the sky, his navigational senses tingling.

"Tell the other ships to give up the chase, and I'll help you get this off." Kuzan ordered. "Return to the fleet once you've finished your essential check-ups, we've got a little something coming in."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina jerked reflexively at the sharp crack of wood behind her. Turning, she noticed a ball of ice embedded in the deck, the wooden boards splintering around it. A hailstone. A hailstone the size of a fist.<p>

The passage of a second chunk was accompanied by the tearing of cloth as it ripped through a sail on the way down. A third smashed into the railing, shattering the fragile handles. A fourth, a lump the size of a head, crashed through the roof of the cabin.

Lina gazed up at the sky, and a gulp of saliva inched its way down her throat.

"Gourry, Zelgadis, fold the sails." She barked out orders. "Amelia, put up a barrier around the ship."

Positioning herself underneath the main mast, she added, "We'll switch off until the storm is over."

Several minutes passed before the rain of ice started to abate, the clatter of hailstones against the shimmering barrier decreasing in frequency. Exhausted, Amelia sat sprawled in a corner, supporting her head with one arm while Milina took over the maintenance of their shield.

The wind began to pick up, blowing the falling hail into slanted paths, causing the sea surface to churn and heave. Milina winced as a particularly large wave broke against one side of her barrier. At this rate, even with the five of them taking turns, they wouldn't last more than a few minutes.

"Gourry, unfold the sails." Lina ordered. "Milina, once that's done, lower the barrier. We'll ride this part out."

The next swell crashed into the ship's hull, spilling onto the deck, and a sharp crack from the hold told Lina one of the wooden supports had broken.

"Luke, go down there and see what you can do about that."

Another wave rose before them, taller than even the ship's central mast, its shadow stretched long by the flashes of lightning behind it. At Lina's direction, Zelgadis invoked a Buday Wind, tearing through the wall of water and flinging their battered ship through the opening.

Lina breathed a sigh of relief when the gap slammed shut behind them, leaving the ship unmolested. She then cringed as the main mast snapped from the strain, crashing into the front of the deck. A sudden surge caused the ship to pitch to one side, dumping the loose timber into the sea.

Another shadow passed over the ship, and, turning, Lina tried to wrap her mind around what her eyes were seeing. The ocean itself was spiraling upward, forming a towering pillar of water between sea and sky. A vortex churned at its base, drawing in everything around it. And the ship was getting closer.

With torn sails and broken masts, there was no getting away conventionally. That left them with the unconventional option.

Ignoring her panicking crewmates, Lina called upon the power of Ruby Eye, the magic erupting from her hands as the familiar crimson missile. It pierced into the heart of the cyclone and detonated, flashing red, then white. The column of water collapsed, its connection broken.

The violent rocking of the ship reminded her that the storm had not diminished one bit; they weren't out of trouble yet.

Something cold and wet struck the back of Lina's head. Wheeling about in a fury, she identified the culprit as a fish, now flopping about on the ship's deck, probably launched from the cyclone by her spell. Her pent up frustration bubbled to the surface.

"Can't you see I have enough crap to deal with here?" She hollered, punting the unfortunate creature into the water.

"What the heck is wrong with this place?!"

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"We need a new ship." Lina moaned, lying sprawled on the ship's deck. The warmth of the morning rays on her face was a sensation she'd thought she would never feel again. Somehow, they had made it through.<p>

"We... need a new ship." Gourry nodded, sitting slumped against the cabin door. With broken masts, torn sails and a myriad of tiny leaks patched up with ice magic, it was as if all the repairs they'd done before departing the sky island were for naught.

"We need a new ship." Luke agreed. Without the usual means of propulsion, all they could do was row. And with no sense of direction, their chances of finding land were pretty slim.

"Amelia, do you see anything?" Lina asked.

"Mmm, I don't see anything yet." Amelia replied from her seat on top of the cabin. Pausing for a moment, she added, "Wait, there's something just ahead."

She passed her telescope to Zelgadis, who stared through them at the indicated point.

"It's a Marine ship." He said.

Lina bolted upright at the confirmation. Finally, some good news.

"Alright crew, full speed ahead!" She announced.

Soon, the entire party was roused into action, moving into position to perform their roles. Oars were handed to Gourry and Zelgadis, while Lina took up a position at the head of the ship. Gazing through the spyglass, she could just barely make out the shape of the enemy vessel, looking more like a green blob at this distance.

Approaching closer, she noted some light damage to its frame, along with a complete absence of any crew on deck.

"Looks like that thing's abandoned." Lina said. "Maybe it got caught in bad weather too."

Gesturing as if nocking a bow, Lina sent a volley of icy darts into the warship's hull, sealing up its portholes. Better safe than sorry.

"Slow us down a bit Gourry, and get ready to board."

Lina paused, waiting for an affirmation, hearing only the creaking of a door being opened behind her. She spun around, opening her mouth to give him an earful.

Her eyes widened fractionally as they fell upon an intruder standing atop what remained of their ship's bridge. A tall man dressed in a casual black shirt and shorts, whose hair was curled up at the sides, resembling the curved horns of a bull.

A small gasp escaped from her throat at the sight of what was behind him. A doorway in the air itself, and beyond it, a distorted, green-tinted facsimile of the outside world.

The intruder stretched a hand behind his back and slapped the door shut, the distortion smoothing over as if it had never been there at all.

"Oh great, not another weirdo." Lina raised her hands combatively, glancing around to confirm that everyone else had noticed. "Don't make me hurt you."

"Hm, it's just a couple of pirates." The intruder replied.


	10. Chapter 10 - Boiling Point

**Chapter 10: Boiling Point****  
><strong>

**Cipher Pol Arc**

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina fixed her eyes on their opponent, watching through her peripheral vision as her allies shifted into combat positions. Gourry stepped toward his left, placing himself between her and the intruder, gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles were white. Zelgadis inched forward, fingering the pommel of his own blade, as well as the guns that he'd kept after they destroyed the slaver island. Luke was still getting over his old habits, reaching reflexively for a weapon that was no longer there, before stopping himself with a grimace.<p>

For his part, the intruder seemed entirely unconcerned with their preparations, his face fixed in an expression of mild boredom. What a cocky bastard.

"Hey Lina, is this guy a monster?" Gourry asked.

"Mazoku, Gourry. They're called Mazoku." Lina corrected. She paused, briefly considering the possibility.

At the very least, she could tell what he was thinking. The doorway that the man had stepped through strongly reminded her of the astral portals commonly used by low-ranking Mazoku. But the killing aura that she'd come to associate with them was absent from this foe, and the availability of an easier explanation only strengthened her convictions.

"This guy is a human." Lina concluded. "He probably just did that with his Devil Fruit power."

"Correct." The intruder replied in his monotonous baritone voice. "I ate the Door Door Fruit. Thus, I have become a door man."

"A door man?" Luke snorted. "So you're saying your Devil Fruit made you the guy that stands at the entrance to an inn, and helps people carry their stuff?"

The bull-horned man gave no response, no indication that he had been moved at all by Luke's remark.

"It is unfortunate for you that you have encountered us today." He continued dispassionately. "Although we of the CP9 are no longer agents of the government, by attacking us, you pirates have invited retribution upon yourselves. My fellow agents will be arriving shortly, and you are no match for the power of our Six Styles techniques."

Lina glanced at the ship that they were planning - still planning - to hijack, sitting a good distance away across the water. Unless these companions of his were planning to swim the whole way…

She shut that thought from her head. Even without sorcery, the possibility that they had abilities allowing them to cross the sea could not be ruled out.

"You sure talk big, don't you?" Lina shot back, orange sparks flickering between her loosely cupped hands. If more of these guys were coming, then there was nothing else to say.

"Fine! Let's see what you've got!"

Lina swept her hands outward and flung a spread of Flare Arrows at their opponent, hoping to take him by surprise with an aggressive display of magic. She figured he would be forced to dodge upward, leaving him open to a follow-up attack by the others.

She was surprised when the man simply stood in place, his body bending easily around the projectiles, slipping between the gaps in their paths like fluttering paper.

Taking back the initiative, the bull-man rushed forward, a blur of black darting across the deck. The pale ray of an Elmekia Lance struck the empty air where he had been but moments before. Dashing around the remnants of the central mast and weaving past the crew, the man closed the distance to Lina in an instant. She jumped back as a blade streaked through the air in a downward arc before her, followed by the sound of clashing steel.

Lina regained her balance and looked up to see Gourry repositioned before her, having parried the bull-man's attack. The swordsman segued instantly into a second slash, and their opponent withdrew, somersaulting back to the ship's bridge. Lina searched him for the weapon that she'd heard clashing against Gourry's sword, and to her surprise, found none. Instead, a shallow cut could be seen on his forearm, where his bare skin had made contact with the blade.

"That's a pretty neat trick." Gourry called, squaring his stance again. "So you kick off the ground ten times at once to make yourself move faster."

"Very observant." The other man complimented. He glanced at his wound, where a thin stream of red was flowing, then added, "And to break through my Iron Skin, if only a little, means that your skill level is above that of an average pirate."

Lina narrowed her eyes. 'Six Styles', the man had said just before the fighting began. Bending his body, the vanishing speed, and hardness enough to match a sword's cutting edge with nothing but exposed skin. And who knew what other tricks he had in store.

Lina mumbled a curse under her breath. Forget Plan A, that involved an abandoned ship. Plan B was also shot to hell; they were expecting to fight some storm-tossed pirates or marines at most, not a team of crazy martial artists. And with the fight taken to their own ship before they had even begun to depart, the amount of destructive power she could throw out was severely limited. They were probably in the area of Plan D or E by now.

Their opponent kicked off the deck and dashed for Gourry, aiming to finish the swordsman off first. Gourry's weapon was a blur of motion, and crimson lines appeared on the other man's arms, shoulders and cheek. Lina backed away from the furious melee, but she could find no gaps to hit their opponent without catching Gourry as well.

Standing his ground against the wave of attacks, the bull-man gripped Gourry's sword hilt with one hand, forcing it away and sweeping a palm over the swordsman's face.

"W-what's going on?!" Gourry stammered, stumbling back in surprise.

Lina stopped, taking a moment to process what her eyes were seeing. One section of Gourry's head was rotating by itself with a grating, wooden clack, carrying his eyes and ears with it like a revolving door. With his head literally spinning, Gourry's stance collapsed and their opponent advanced, bending his body around a poorly aimed swing and extending an index finger, drawing back as if he intended to jab the digit into Gourry's throat.

Zelgadis moved, springing at their opponent from the side, brandishing his own sword, blade coated in the deep crimson glow of the Astral Vine. Noticing the danger, the bull-man withdrew his attack and sprang skyward, the deck below splintering beneath the force of his jump.

Lina flung a wall of icy daggers into the bull-man's path. If she could hit him while he was unable to maneuver in midair, the battle would be over.

She had to revise that thought when the man shot out a leg, kicking off from the air with a muted boom and launching himself out of the spell's path.

"Oh that is just bullshit." Lina swore. The others joined in on the attack, sending up a kaleidoscopic barrage of spells, all to no avail, for their foe was no less maneuverable in the air than he was on deck.

"Amelia, see if you can break the curse on Gourry!" She commanded. Gazing upward, she noticed the bull-man draw back his leg, swinging forward it in an exaggerated kicking motion.

Lina extinguished the spark that she had been forming and channeling her magical power into the air around her. A translucent dome formed overhead, and not a moment too soon as the bull-man completed his attack, sending a blade of wind scything downward. The two forces clashed with a shriek of air, but the barrier held, while the deflected cutting force of the attack struck the sea surface, parting the waters and causing the boat to rock.

"I've seen that one before." Lina shouted up.

The noise coming from Gourry's direction came to a halt, as the unnatural energy flows were restored to normal by Amelia's Flow Break. It was reassuring to know they still had some tools for dealing with these powers, and she filed that information away for future reference. Gourry was still dizzy, but he rose back to his feet, quickly regaining his bearings.

Forming another fireball between her cupped hands, Lina pitched it skyward, and the bull-man stepped toward the side, allowing the projectile to pass. With the snap of a finger, the fireball shattered, showering the bull-man with a spray of sparks, and his attention lapsed for a moment.

Luke gestured with a smirk, and molded a dense globe of air around their opponent. The bull-man kicked out, but it was to no avail, and Luke forced the spell downward, sending its captive smashing face-first into the deck. In an instant Milina was there, a spiderweb of icy tendrils expanding out from her palm, freezing the bull-man's limbs to the planks. Then before he could wrench himself free, a pillar of brilliant white erupted around him, stripping away his will and leaving him dazed and half-conscious.

"And that's what you get for messing with Lina Inverse." Lina concluded. Searing white-hot spears of flame shot out from her cupped hands and connected with their dazed and bloody opponent, the backwash flashing ice to steam and disintegrating the wooden deck. She allowed the spell to die once she saw the bull-man's eyes roll back into their sockets, tendrils of smoke seeping from his mouth and nostrils. He was still breathing, but it would be a while before he'd be getting up again.

* * *

><p>...<p>

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><p>A vicious grin stretched across Lucci's face when he noticed the multi-colored pyrotechnics exploding over the battered pirate ship. Blueno had gone ahead, impatient as usual, eager to deal with the distractions quickly so they could continue on toward their destination. But it looked like he wasn't having an easy time of it.<p>

Lucci pushed himself faster, the rhythmic cracks of air beneath his feet increasing in pace, the sea surface a horizontal blur as he raced forward. Perched on his shoulder, Hattori tucked himself lower to avoid being blown off by the gale. A speck of sea foam splashed onto his jacket, and he flicked it off with a finger. At last, some action to dispel his boredom, some blood to sate his thirst.

From behind, Lucci heard the sounds of bones snapping and joints popping into place. He glanced back to see that Jabra had expanded into his hulking hybrid form, bounding through the air on long lupine legs.

"I see you're having trouble keeping up." Lucci remarked scathingly. "It's no wonder you were beaten like a whipped dog by a pirate who didn't even have a bounty."

"You'd better watch your mouth, you cat bastard." The other agent snarled back, the hackles on the back of his neck standing on end. As usual, the mangy mutt didn't have an actual comeback.

The distance to the pirate ship was fast diminishing, and it seemed that the light show had come to an end. Lucci's internal disappointment shifted to mild surprise when his eyes fell upon Blueno's prone and badly burnt body, lying comatose on a blackened patch of deck near the ship's bow. He was still breathing at least.

"Well I'll be damned, Blueno went and got himself beaten again!" Jabra cackled from behind. "Ah, what a fool."

Lucci settled softly on a splintering segment of railing at the bow, while Hattori fluttered off, circling overhead at a safe distance. Jabra landed at the stern of the weather-beaten ship, causing the deck to creak under his weight, eliciting a round of gasps at his feral appearance. Lucci quickly scanned the half-dozen colorfully dressed pirates on deck, noting no signs of any weapons that could have been responsible for the lights and Blueno's burns. He had observed earlier that the ship's gun ports were boarded up as well, not that a cannon bombardment could ever touch a Six Styles master anyway.

A red-haired girl stepped forward, pointing a finger menacingly at Blueno's unconscious form.

"Hand over your ship." She demanded confidently.

"And what if I refuse?" Lucci hopped down from the railing, his face flashing into a predatory grin.

Though the girl kept her finger trained on Blueno's unmoving form, she took a step back, and Lucci relished her apprehension.

"You'll give us your ship or I'll blast this guy to smithereens!"

Lucci's response came not in words, but in action. He exploded into motion, snatching up Blueno's unmoving form, then effortlessly hefted the larger man over his shoulder with but a single hand.

"While my colleague's defeat is regrettable," Lucci added coldly, "I still have need of his abilities."

"And if you're worried about me fighting with just one arm, don't be. My power level is five times his."

His leg shot out, catching the red-haired girl in her gut and flinging her into the cabin on the opposite end of the ship. The blonde swordsman intercepted him before he could follow up, but Lucci simply parried his blows with a free arm, tensing his muscles until the blade's bite was little more than that of an insect sting.

Jabra launched himself into the fray with a howl on his lips, moving with the bounding, springing motions of his Iron Body Style. The pirates scattered but the agent was faster, striking the blue-skinned gunman with an open-palmed thrust and sending him hurtling into the sea.

A spear of fire from the dark-haired girl slammed into Jabra's back, breaking his stride and drawing a yelp of pain and surprise. He paused and backed away, eyes darting to and fro. Lucci smirked. Now things were getting interesting.

Turning his attention back to his own opponent, Lucci forced his way past the swordsman's guard and wrenched the weapon from his grasp. His own hand flashed out in a blisteringly quick volley of thrusts, his index finger punching holes through swordsman's breastplate and coming away wet and red.

Catching the swordsman by the neck before he could fall, Lucci hoisted the man into the air. If this one had any unusual abilities, he'd have surely used them by now. There was no point in toying overlong with mice.

Lucci paused as a voice interrupted with an "excuse me" from behind, barely above a whisper in volume. Showing nothing of his shock at being snuck up on, he spun around, smooth and practiced, and found himself staring into a pair of cold, violet pupils, belonging to a purple-haired man cloaked in a black priest's mantle.

"Forgive me, Mr. Agent." The man smiled warmly and extended a gloved hand. "But you'll have to let me look at him first."

"And what if I refuse?" Lucci repeated his earlier words. His eyes bored into his opposite, scanning for any sign of whatever lay beneath this light-hearted veneer, but he just couldn't seem to get a read on this one. It was as if he were looking at a blank shell arranged in the shape of a human. This day was getting more and more interesting.

"Well then, that's just no good at all." The mysterious priest shrugged nonchalantly. His outline blurred and shifted in a most unnatural manner.

"I suppose we'll have to settle this disagreement some other way."

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><p>...<p>

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><p>Lina awoke dazedly and staggered to her feet. Her head was pounding, her hair was filled with wooden splinters and her side throbbed where that agent bastard had kicked her.<p>

She blinked for a few moments until her vision cleared. Outside, Luke and Milina looked to be unhurt, and Zelgadis was soaked, but otherwise okay. The three of them were staring up at the sky, where a black blur that had to be Xellos was battling their two boarders. The unconscious bull-man had been abandoned near the stern of the ship, where Amelia was kneeling on the deck, bent over another prone figure. The Saillune princess was deep in concentration and chanting steadily, her hands glowing with a soft white light.

"Gourry!" Lina ran to the fallen swordsman, and a pang of guilt hit her chest when she saw the bloody puncture wounds scattered across his torso. He was injured because of her, because he was protecting her.

She quietly started to breathe again when she saw Gourry's wounds begin to close and disappear, and heard him stirring into consciousness.

From the direction of the Marine ship, two more dots were fast approaching, racing through the air at just above wave height. Within moments, they were close enough to be discerned as humanoid forms, separating and landing at the ship's two ends. Both of the new arrivals stood twice as tall as Lina did, taller than any person she had ever seen before. And as for their appearances...

"Looks like Blueno got himself beat up again, chapapa!" The egg-shaped man at the ship's stern blurted, in a voice that was almost comically high-pitched and childlike despite his heavyset appearance. And... was that a zipper running across his mouth?

"Yoyoi!" The other man thundered from behind, adopting a theatrical pose with one hand extended uncomfortably close to Lina's face. With his other, he hefted the unconscious bull-man over his shoulder.

"Defeated though he may be, the courage displayed by our dear colleague in facing so many is certainly… admirable." He recited dramatically.

Lina reminded herself that despite their patent absurdity, that these two were dangerous men. Her sentiment was reinforced when the opponent before her closed his eyes in concentration, and his wild mane of pinkish hair began to wave about like the tendrils of some great sea creature.

* * *

><p>...<p>

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><p>Lucci grimaced as he kicked the air and withdrew from another fruitless exchange. He inspected his forearms, covered in burns inflicted by the black flames of the thing he was fighting. A difficult situation, though not a critical one just yet, for he still had his own Devil Fruit to fall back on.<p>

Across from him, Jabra wasn't faring any better. Rushing to attack, the agent found himself stymied by a wall of distortion before being driven back by a cloud of drilling, stabbing cones.

The thing they were fighting was definitely not human. During his time as a government agent, Lucci had had access to a wealth of top secret information. There was no way a Devil Fruit could be responsible for such a broad array of powers.

Moreover, it didn't bleed like a human during one of the few times he'd managed to land a hit. It didn't recoil like a human either; its retaliation was immediate and unrestrained. Once it had dropped the act, it retained none of the tells that every person carried, and its body language was decidedly alien.

Lucci was reminded of one of Vegapunk's experimental human weapons. Modeled after the Warlord, Bartholomew Kuma, built from human corpses. Pitiless killing machines.

Though unlike them, this one was definitely self-aware.

"What are you?" Lucci asked between kicks, his curiosity getting the better of him. While others might condemn, Lucci found these qualities to be commendable. This was the absence of weakness, freedom from that very human sin.

"Now that's not a very nice thing to say." His opponent replied coyly. "But if you must insist, you may refer to me as Xellos, mysterious priest."

An evasive response, but not an unexpected one.

Lucci glanced down to see Fukuro and Kumadori arriving on the ship's deck, engaging its crew two against four. Even outnumbered, the agents were easily pushing their opponents back, while the pirates played a game of feints to stall for time, and heal the swordsman he had injured.

"And are you the leader of this group?" He questioned again, ducking down to avoid a lashing tendril of shadow.

"Nope!" Xellos chirped, soaring away from a flurry of shearing wind blades. "I wouldn't dream of doing something like that."

Lucci allowed his body to go limp, swaying to avoid the tip of a spinning black cone. "Then why do you follow such a weak crew?"

"Just be patient for a little longer and you might find out." Xellos responded with another non-answer. He paused and drifted back rather than fire off a follow-up attack.

Lucci noticed the reason why when a cannonball slammed into the pirate ship, bursting with a sharp crack and sending up a plume of smoke. His eyes traced the projectile's path, coming to rest on an unlabeled government ship approaching from the direction opposite his. The battle on deck ground to a halt as well while the combatants reoriented themselves.

The government ship furled its sails, and something flitted up from its deck, zig-zagging through the air toward Lucci's position. A masked man, tall and slim, dressed in an immaculate white suit and and draped in a matching overcoat. A yellow flower-petal beard and a red and white-striped top hat added a bit of color to his appearance, and though he kept his arms folded, their relative positions betrayed him as a member of the Longarm Tribe.

The implications were not wasted. A Six Styles user, borne by an unlabeled ship, his identity concealed behind a mask. Only the two secret divisions of Cipher Pol fit these parameters, and with the current CP9 having gone rogue, it meant that this man was a member of the 'World's Strongest Intelligence'. An agent of CP0.

"The Zeroth." Jabra gasped, having come to the same conclusion. "What are they doing here?"

Lucci remained silent as the masked agent came to a halt before him. Glancing down, he noted Xellos descending toward the deck, where Fukuro and Kumadori were gawking in unconcealed shock.

"My my, what a surprise to find you all here." The Aigis spy spoke, his voice practically oozing with disdain.

"And what a disappointment to come across the former agents of the Ninth, skirmishing with pirates like some petty officer of the Marines."

Lucci said nothing, keeping both eyes fixed on his counterpart as the masked man glided around him, the motions of his feet so minute as to be practically unnoticeable.

"Though to be frank, at least one good thing has come out of this debacle. The organization of which you lead the last and - let us not mince words - worst generation has finally come under review. Spies that can't spy, killers that couldn't kill a single member of a single pirate crew, a gaggle of misfits lead by the most demented of them all."

"But don't feel that all this rests solely upon your shoulders." The agent remarked dryly. "CP9 was a worthless venture from the moment of its inception. The eight official branches of Cipher Pol are more than capable of handling matters in Paradise and the Blues, and an agent of Aigis can be dispatched to deal with the few that are beyond them."

"And what might this agent of Aigis be doing here today?" Lucci asked.

"You mean you haven't realized?" The masked man replied. "Aside from the fact that your little band has become a political liability, it has fallen to us to complete the mission that you failed to accomplish. The mission that you spent 5 years failing to accomplish."

"Your former chief is working with us." He added. "Or perhaps he's working for us?"

Lucci understood. Once the World Government was set on a course of action, they would pursue it on sheer inertia, until all options were exhausted.

"You're after the Ancient Weapon, Pluton."


	11. Chapter 11 - Concordance

**Chapter 11: Concordance****  
><strong>

**Cipher Pol Arc**

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina's head snapped up to look at the three agents hovering overhead. Ancient weapon? Did these guys know where to find even more of them?<p>

A draught of smoke drifting into her face drew her back to the situation at hand, and she wiped away the tears welling up within her stinging eyes. She'd definitely make those other bastards pay for blasting her ship, but right now, she was grateful for the reprieve. While the two weirdos on deck were gawking, her group could take the time to recuperate and think about what to do.

Gourry's eyelids fluttered open, and he pulled himself to his feet, fingers closed around the hilt of his weapon. Behind him, Amelia entreated the swordsman to remain still, while she mended the last of his wounds. A little further back, Luke regained his senses and sprinted to Milina, positioning himself protectively between her and the octopus hair man.

Xellos appeared from the billowing smoke, touching down on the ship's deck. The Mazoku was smiling contentedly, but when Lina shot him a questioning glance, he merely shrugged and said nothing.

"Hey, Zipper!" Lina called out to the agent in front of her. "Why are those two talking about ancient weapons? Do you guys know something about them?"

The egg-shaped man looked back down at her and unzipped his mouth to speak, giving the fastener an extra tug when it got stuck halfway across.

"Well that's because the weapon Pluton has been our former chief's goal for at least the past fourteen years, chapapa." He replied. "But we lost the plans that Lucci's group captured from Water 7, so the only way to get the weapon now would be to read the Poneglyph at Alabasta."

Lina suppressed a chuckle at the sheer dissonance between the man's appearance and behavior. "And whereabouts is this place?"

The agent paused to think for a moment before answering. "Chapa, Alabasta should be on the Grand Line to the west of here. Of course, we won't be able to find it without a pose, and we don't have time to try to buy one, so Lucci will probably want us to take one from the Marines, maybe at G-8 base. And once we do that, then we'll have to..."

"So Lina, what are you planning to do?" Xellos cut in from behind while the agent continued to chatter. Another cannonball slammed into the ocean surface nearby, rocking the ship and drenching the deck with a spray of salty sea water.

"I know we're in a fairly difficult position right now, but I'm sure you can see that this also has the potential to be a great opportunity." He advised.

Lina made a troubled noise at the back of her throat. As was fast becoming the norm here, every option was a shot in the dark, filled with potentially unpleasant surprises.

The events of the previous night had shown her that their own skills and tools were not going to cut it in this turbulent region. But if sea travel was as common as it seemed to be, then surely the locals would have some way of reliably navigating these anomalies.

Then of course, there was the issue of this new lead requiring them to travel away from their original goal. As the saying went, "The hunter who chases two rabbits catches neither." Whether this was applicable depended on whether anyone was angling to snatch away their first objective in the meantime.

Lina glanced back at her entourage, some of whom had just recovered from their injuries. The new arrivals were definitely hostile, but she didn't know if the guys they'd attacked first were going to just turn on her as soon as the strides were in their favor. Xellos seemed pretty confident though, and as she pondered on what he had been doing up there, she found her gaze drifting upward, to where the three men in the sky had fallen silent.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Rob Lucci had a promise to keep. He'd made a solemn pledge to his former chief Spandam that CP9 would be paying him a visit soon. Accounts needed to be settled, justice needed to be dealt, and now that the chief's whereabouts were known, Lucci would allow nothing to stand in his way.<p>

And standing in his way now was the Aigis spy, who ceased his ambling and came to a halt between Lucci and Jabra, turning to face the former and showing his back to the latter. A brazen gesture, but perhaps not unwarranted for a man belonging to the 'Strongest Intelligence'.

Lucci's body expanded into his towering half-leopard form, broad-chested and bulging with rippling muscles. Black curved claws extended from the tips of his fingers, and a spotted leopard tail sprouted from his lower back. The current generation of CP9 was hailed as the strongest in the organization's history, and even among them, Lucci stood alone at the summit. It was time these accolades were put to the test.

The Aigis' opening move was a killing blow. His multi-jointed arm struck with shocking speed, flowing and sweeping like water, coated in a blade of slicing wind. Only a last-minute defense prevented Lucci from being disemboweled; instead he felt the attack slice bone-deep into his forearms, sending up a spray of arterial blood.

Turning to deflect the remaining force, Lucci segued the motion into a spinning slash, striking at the Aigis with a wave of compressed air, strong enough to slice through a warship's steel bulkheads. Jabra joined the attack, throwing up a wall of projectiles shaped like snapping wolf heads. Two techniques, designed to pin the masked man between them.

The man's other arm lashed out, faster than sight, dispersing Lucci's attack into a shower of harmless fragments while giving up only a little ground. The thinly smiling mask that he wore now seemed almost mocking in its expression.

Sprinting up from below, Fukuro threw himself into a spinning tackle, which the Aigis dodged with Paper Arts. A wall of stabbing threads from Kumadori was thwarted with Iron Body, and a barrage of Storm Leg attacks were overpowered by a single return stroke. Jabra reeled back, stunned by a steel-knuckled blow to the face, and a follow-up attack sent the wolf-man hurtling into the water. The masked man descended after him, not content to assume his foe would die of drowning.

Slimming his form down to a lighter, more agile build, Lucci hammered the air with his feet, legs working like pistons as he accelerated to his foe. Twin fists punched out, and the masked head turned, seeming to register brief surprise, visible as a slight twitch. Too late.

A wave of force flowed past Lucci's hands, erupting into the air and rippling through the masked man's torso, causing his body to jerk back from the blow. A hairline fracture formed at the base of his mask, splitting its smile in two. The ultimate technique of the Six Styles, combining the six basic forms into a single destructive attack.

That one definitely had an effect.

For a moment, the only sound in Lucci's ears was the sound of his own heavy breathing.

"The strongest agent in the history of the Ninth." The masked man spoke at last, straightening himself up. "Is that the limit of your power?"

Only the tiniest hint of strain in his voice betrayed the fact that he had taken any damage at all.

Kumadori dove for the sea, tendrils of pinkish hair reaching for Jabra, trying to pull him out before he sank beyond their sight. A Storm Leg attack blew him back, threads slashed to ragged ribbons, his white theatrical make up stained red by countless tiny cuts.

"Unpolished."

Fukuro approached from above, fists bared, running a zigzagging trajectory toward the Aigis. The flick of a finger threw a bullet of compressed air straight into his path, sending him spinning helplessly into the water.

"Unhoned."

The masked man turned now toward Lucci, who had put some distance between them so as to not be caught by a surprise attack. Lucci's eyes widened as the other man thrust out his lanky arms in a mirror image of his own pose, paired fists held one above the other.

"Wasted."

Twin jets of light-distorting force shot out from the masked man's knuckles, spiraling inward, compressing, merging into a single cohesive beam of devastating power. In an instant, the maelstrom closed the distance, thundering through the air with staggering speed. It was already too close, and too fast to escape.

A ball of light appeared before Lucci, expanding into a densely contained shell of bright blue flame that swallowed the spiraling wave, while leaving him untouched. Legs pumping, he cleared the line of fire as the weakened remnants of the blast roared past, dwindling to nothing in the distance.

The agent of Aigis seemed just as surprised, and in that moment, a ribbon of light weaved up from below and made a play for him. Ducking the initial thrust, the masked man failed to react when the technique adjusted itself in mid-air, striking him like a whip and detonating in a flash of white. Beneath the glare, a second crack was visible on his mask, spider-webbing out from its lower left edge.

The sea surface churned, forming jagged waves that crashed together, exploding upward in a fountain of obscuring white. Jabra's dark form was tossed out from the top of the geyser, and Lucci's eyes traced the trajectory of his fellow agent as he landed on the pirate ship's deck, choking up water and gulping in the sweet air. Standing nearby was the red haired girl that Lucci had confronted earlier, hands drawn up in some sort of ability-invoking stance.

Some wordless thought was conveyed between the two of them then.

A wave of shuriken-shaped wind blades raced past Lucci's head, deflecting off the Aigis agent's Iron Body defense. He looked back and saw his final two subordinates arriving from their ship.

"Oh my, it looks like that's the genuine article." Kalifa remarked, brushing back a lock of blonde hair and adjusting her glasses with a finger.

"Did you make some new friends Lucci?" Kaku asked playfully. Hopping from foot to foot, he took up his reverse-grip stance, paired swords flashing in the morning light.

An arc of lightning flashed up from the ship, but the Aigis operative was faster, neatly sidestepping and replying with a deluge of cutting and piercing winds. A wall of white shimmered into view, catching the direct force of the attack, but the considerable backblast caused the surrounding waters to heave. The ship's weather-beaten hull groaned as a wind-churned swell slammed into its side.

Lucci threw himself onto the scene, attacking with a series of his quickest stabs and slashes, blending animal ferocity and practiced, surgical precision. Kaku darted in and out, slashing at their foe through gaps and flinging Storm Leg attacks from a distance. Kalifa circled around, spraying a stream of foam from the other side. Unwilling to risk enduring the effects of an unknown Devil Fruit, the Aigis was forced to evade, allowing gaps to creep into his defense.

A spinning pentagram crystallized from the air, summoned by the hooded gunman, and icy tendrils shot out from its points and intersections, grasping at the Aigis spy. The masked man shattered one with a blow from his arm, weaved around another with Paper Arts, then bolted skyward when their numbers proved too overwhelming.

Kaku shifted into his giraffe-hybrid form, and his neck fired out, his oddly square nose slamming into the masked man head-on, the bare fractions of a second spent retaliating stealing away the time needed to escape. One tendril speared into the Aigis spy's leg, forming a film of frost that spread rapidly upward, immediately arresting his flight. Others poured in, encasing him in a split second, throwing on more and more layers until the man was immobilized within a solid slab of crystal-clear ice, hanging serenely in midair.

With a thought, Lucci released his Life Return compression, ballooning back into his hulking, ten-foot frame. With diminished range of motion and reduced nimbleness, it was a form he favored less when engaging in close combat. But for sheer brute strength, its usefulness was undisputed.

Raising himself to eye-level with his target, Lucci held out his fists, stopping just short of the surface of the icy cage. He poured out his strength, and the air boomed as a shock wave rippled from his knuckles, punching through crystal, flowing through flesh and shattering the frigid prison into a curtain of glittering rain.

Freed from his restraints, the Aigis agent seemed about to collapse, listless like an unstrung marionette. Growing patches of red stained his once-spotless suit and coat, and his mask was a canvas of jagged cracks and fissures. To his credit, he did not cry out or make any sort of undignified sound, but from the way his gaze darted to and fro, it was clear that he had lost all heart for the fight. A brief flash of joy formed over Lucci's face between panted breaths, and he exulted in the pain and panic wafting from his foe.

"Was that enough power for you, Agent of the Zeroth?"

Without a word, the Aigis spy turned to flee, dashing toward his ship in an erratic path to avoid the barrage of Storm Leg attacks flying his way. Lucci rocketed forward in pursuit, feeling the cooling sensation of the wind blowing against his sweat-soaked forehead. The masked man remained annoyingly fast despite his considerable injuries, but as the two of them shot past the pirate ship, Lucci spotted something that made him stop.

On the ship's deck below, the red-haired girl was standing with both arms raised over her head, her expression one of deep concentration while she chanted out some sort of arcane litany. An orb of white power shimmered between her palms, and from it, an insidious glow pervaded the air, wrapped around her like a mantle of red malice.

With a cry of "Dragon Slave!" the girl threw her hands forward, and the red glow exploded forth as a surging torrent of supernatural color. It roared past the masked man, setting the air aflame with the mere aftermath of its passage, then detonated in an explosion of annihilating light. The agent and his ship vanished into the blast, which, for a brief moment, outshined the sun, throwing all on the surface into shadow. A towering column of vapor erupted into the sky, while the ocean rushed in to fill the newly formed gap.

"Well done Lina, well done." Xellos complimented from below, applauding quietly. He rose into the air, just in time to avoid the explosion-driven wave, which tossed the tiny caravel around like a wooden bathtub toy. Blueno's unattended body was fortuitously caught by a railing, while Jabra, still groggy from his near-drowning, managed to cling to the mast alongside the crew until the turbulence passed.

_"Just be patient for a little longer and you might find out."_ The self-dubbed priest's words echoed in Lucci's mind. He allowed himself to smile. Oh, this would be interesting indeed.

With a muted crack that grew louder by the moment, the much-abused ship finally came apart. Kaku raced down, plucking Blueno's unconscious form from the railing, while Jabra and the crew cleared the deck mere moments before the hull disintegrated, revealing a solid block of gold within the hold, nearly broad as the ship was wide. Before anyone could lift a finger in response, the metallic mass plunged into the water, vanishing into the azure depths.

"That was… a lot of gold." Kalifa ventured. "Probably enough to purchase the entire Galley-La Company."

"One could easily commission a royal palace with a sum that large." Kaku agreed.

Kaku's innocent comment seemed to hit the redhead hard, inducing an unsettling shiver that caused most of her crewmates to cringe. For a long moment, she stared blankly at the patch of drifting planks where her ship used to be, then clutched her hair and screamed her frustration at the clear blue sky.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Spandam sat motionless, facing his desk in the captain's quarters, staring intently at the communicator snail placed at one corner of the table. A myriad of straps, belts and harnesses stretched across his body like cobwebs, pinning his shattered frame in place. There was an annoying itch on his right thigh, but he couldn't move to scratch it. His back throbbed where three vertebrae were fractured, but he couldn't lean forward to take the pressure off. Condensation from the ice pack pressed against his forehead was trickling into his left eye, but with his swollen lips, he couldn't so much as blow at it to make it go away.<p>

And all of this was CP9's fault, for failing to kill that accursed Cutty Flam, and for losing the keys to that blasted Nico Robin!

Straining with what little strength he could muster, Spandam turned his head just enough to glance at the clock hanging on the nearest wall. It was an hour past noon.

Even though he couldn't turn far enough to see, Spandam knew there was at least one government agent standing at the door behind him, with orders to receive his visitors and attend to his needs. After all, he was the great Chief Spandam, whose considerable talents had earned him the position of Director within the Tower of Justice at Enies Lobby.

Or at least, that was his position before CP9's incompetent bungling resulted in the island's destruction.

Not to mention, he was the man who had obtained explicit permission from the World Nobles and the Five Elders to pursue this illustrious undertaking. Perhaps after he obtained it, he could even use Pluton to seize the reins of power himself; certainly he deserved no less.

"I'm not happy soldier." He grumbled through gritted teeth. "Not. Happy. Ask me why."

"I'm very sorry to hear that chief!" A nervous voice replied from behind. "Is there something you want me to do for you? Do you have an itch, or maybe you would like something to be adjusted?"

"No no, it's none of that." Spandam replied. "Just ask me why."

"Why?"

"Why what? Be specific, soldier."

"Why are you unhappy?" His attendant ventured cautiously.

"Because the ship that should be carrying our third agent was supposed to report in at noon!" Spandam snapped. "And look what time it is now! They are an hour late!"

"Really, I've come to expect this kind of buffoonery from CP9, but the World's Strongest Intelligence should be able to do better." He huffed.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't compare us to things of that sort, dear Chief." A third voice chimed in, soothing, yet spine-chilling, dancing the razor's edge between sincerity and scorn.

Spandam shivered as he felt the agent's warm breath on the back of his neck, while his doorman sputtered out a hasty apology.

"W-well, I just wanted to make sure our team member was doing okay." He quickly stammered. "Plus, I had heard that he was the only one among you three who didn't have an ability, so I used my connections to procure a Fruit, should you have need of it."

He gestured with his chin toward one of the desk's drawers.

"Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary, Chief." The spy noted, flawlessly formal and academic. "Now onto business: we will be arriving soon at the port of Nanohana. Moreover, our translator has confirmed the absence of the princess, the palace security captain, and the royal guard commanders. Truly the fortunes are in our favor, are they not?"

"Oh, well that's good." Spandam replied. He remembered something, then added, "Oh yeah, who is our translator anyway? I'm sure my father had all but one of those Oharan demons put to death."

"She comes to us from Dressrosa, Chief. In the New World." The agent raised his voice so as to make himself heard over a dull roar emanating from above. The ship bobbed as something heavy landed on the deck.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"A warship?!" Lina threw her hands up in exasperation. "Why does Pluton have to be a warship?! I want something I can hold, damnit!"<p>

Crossing her arms, she plopped down on a nearby couch and leaned back against its cushion. The small comforts of the captain's cabin were much appreciated after all they had been through.

Kaku strode over to her end of the table and poured her a mug of steaming hot tea. Leaving the empty kettle, he withdrew back to the opposite side, where his fellow agents were gathered. Seated front and center among them, Lucci raised a glass of rum to his lips, and his pigeon, dressed in a matching black overcoat, leaned down from his shoulder to share a sip.

While Fukuro had chattered more than enough for everyone, the bull-guy, Blueno, had yet to say anything since they'd started negotiations. Then again, he didn't seem like the talkative type, and that first battle where he'd been burnt had only started because of a misunderstanding anyway. Plus, Lina had healed him right up as soon as they'd gotten onboard.

"Well then," Zelgadis replied grumpily, "this conflict has nothing to do with us. I say we get off at the next island and find a way to head back toward our original objective."

"Whoa, hold on there Zel, I didn't mean it quite like that." Lina quickly stopped him.

"This former chief of yours," she addressed the Cipher Pol members, "so you're saying he's the one responsible for sending that long-armed freak at us?"

The seven spies and one pigeon sitting across from her nodded in unison.

"And you guys don't have any intel on where or what Poseidon might be?"

The Cipher Pol members confirmed by shaking their heads.

"We really have no interest in obtaining the weapons for ourselves." Kaku explained. "Pluton was always the chief's objective."

Lina nodded. The fact that former intelligence agents didn't know where Poseidon was located was a very good thing in her mind, since it meant no one was likely to go after it. That made sense; if the relic in the sky was the only one pointing to it, not many people would've seen it.

"In that case, I say we head over to Alabasta." She concluded. "It's still a good idea to check out those ruins in case they're holding clues to anything else, and I need to teach that punk chief of yours a lesson for sinking my gold. Plus, if they have any more ships like this, then we can steal one before we go."

"Call it fair and just compensation for my loss." She stated matter-of-factly.

The corners of Lucci's mouth curled up into a momentary smirk.

"Indeed, your logic is impeccable!" Xellos commended from his position leaning against the wall. "I'm sure no one has any objections to Lina's proposal?"

"Chapapa, but it was the wave caused by your technique that ended up sinking your-" Fukuro's mouth snapped shut with a metallic clink at Lina's threatening glare.

"Treacherous villains seek to unearth the weapons for their evil plans!" Amelia stood up on a chair, throwing her cape back and posing dramatically. "They shall be smashed with the hammer of justice!"

"That's right!" Kumadori called out in agreement. "Treachery and betrayal have befouled, polluted and blackened the chief's good name! Yoyoi!"

Zelgadis sighed in resignation. "Alright, fine."

Lina turned toward Luke and Milina, her gaze inviting them to join the discussion.

"Works for us, right Milina?" Luke shrugged. Milina remained silent, content to allow Luke to speak for her as well.

"Then…" Lina rose from her seat and walked to where Rob Lucci sat. It worked out to something surprisingly simple in the end.

"We'll sail with you to Alabasta to get a look at these ruins, and if any more of these goons show up, we'll pitch in to fight them off." She offered. "And after we get all that over with, then we'll go our separate ways."

She stuck out her hand.

Lucci stood up, and all eyes fell upon him as he paused momentarily, then took up the offered hand and shook.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> CP0's members have a theme, similar to how other groups like the Shichibukai and CP9 have animal themes. Now one fight isn't a lot to work with, but if you think you've got a read on it, lemme know. Otherwise, it'll be explained after Chapter 13.

CP9 Crew Roles are as follows:

**Lucci **- Captain.  
><strong>Kaku<strong> - Shipwright.  
><strong>Jabra<strong> - Cook.  
><strong>Kalifa<strong> - Navigator.  
><strong>Blueno<strong> - Helmsman.  
><strong>Kumadori<strong> - Doctor.  
><strong>Fukurou<strong> - Unassigned.

Slayers Crew Roles, once Lina gets the hang of it, would go something like this:

**Lina** - Captain.  
><strong>Gourry<strong> - Swordsman.  
><strong>Zelgadis<strong> - Navigator.  
><strong>Amelia<strong> - Doctor.  
><strong>Xellos<strong> - Archaeologist.  
><strong>Luke<strong> - Chore Boy (Ha!).  
><strong>Milina<strong> - Unassigned. She could be considered a diplomat or mediator of sorts, if that was an actual listed crew role.


	12. Chapter 12 - Strange Bedfellows

**Chapter 12: Strange Bedfellows****  
><strong>

**Cipher Pol Arc**

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

* * *

><p>Lina didn't start to relax until they were well on their way, with the late afternoon sun casting an orange haze over the horizon.<p>

Arranging for accommodations had been simple enough. The ship they were sharing was originally intended to house an entire platoon of Marines, plus associated support staff, so there were more than enough rooms to divide between the men and women, and the two distinct crews. The cabins were pretty sparse and bunk beds weren't the best, but they had all made do with less in the past.

The ship was equipped with a fairly spacious galley, with all its food stored inside a mechanical contraption capable of automatically generating cold temperatures. Even with her party's voracious eating habits, the journey was only expected to take a few days, so they probably wouldn't need to restock barring some unforeseen catastrophe.

Lina had protested a little when she'd found out that Jabra was going to be in charge of their cooking. Devil Fruit or not, she didn't like werewolves.

"Hey Gourry, do you think I made the right choice?" Lina asked suddenly. She looked over to where the swordsman sat, leaning against a wall with his feet propped up by some spare cushions.

"Hmm? Whaddya mean Lina?" Gourry asked.

"I mean going all the way with these guys." Lina clarified.

"It's just, things are different this time, you know?" She continued, finding herself a little surprised at how forthcoming she was being.

"Before, if we were getting into something serious, the others could bail out if it was getting too dangerous for them. But now, now that we're in this world, we all have to stick together. So my decisions are going for everyone."

"And when we get there, we're probably going to have to fight even more guys like that one in the morning." She added.

A quiet snore alerted Lina to the fact that Gourry had nodded off. Normally this would have earned him a boot to the head, but instead, she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. After all their adventures together, maybe that was just his way of expressing his confidence in her.

Lina pulled herself to her feet. She needed to find Zelgadis. There was somewhere they had to be.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"This is a Log Pose." Kalifa stretched out her arm to display the accessory attached to her wrist. Lina and Zelgadis scooted forward, leaning in to look. It had taken all day to secure this vital lesson, so by the gods she was going to get it.<p>

Lina tapped the device with a finger. It was a clear, glassy orb, with what was obviously a compass needle suspended within, pointing steadily in the direction of the ship's heading. A metal frame and accompanying leather strap kept it fastened to the wearer's arm.

She blinked as the implication came to her, and from Zelgadis' gasp, it seemed he had grasped it too. Rummaging through one of the pockets lining her cape, she produced her own compass, whose needle was still spinning wildly around its pedestal.

"How come your needle can stay straight?" She asked, pointing at the accessory in question. "I couldn't even get my crystal ball to work on this crazy ocean."

"The islands of the Grand Line emit their own magnetic waves, so of course an ordinary compass wouldn't work." Kalifa said smoothly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"The Log Pose is a special compass that records the magnetic interactions between nearby islands. Once it has locked onto the pull, it will point to the next island on the route."

Smirking, she bent down, brushing her long hair back over her shoulder and bringing her face close to Lina's, allowing her tie to dangle free from her generously proportioned chest. No, Lina wasn't jealous at all, not one bit.

"Trying to sail on the Grand Line without a Log Pose is impossible." She chided. "You all would've gotten lost and shipwrecked before long if we hadn't arrived."

Lina's face pulled into a frown. Maybe she was right, but did she really have to put it like that?

"So what's the name of the island that it's pointing to now?" Zelgadis ventured.

Kalifa's gaze turned sharply to look at him.

"That's sexual harassment." She admonished.

Lina watched as Zelgadis stiffened like a plank, and felt a slight shudder passing through her own body. The vibes that this woman was giving off were strongly reminding her of someone from her past, who she had unwillingly journeyed with for over a year before she met Gourry. Someone she definitely didn't want to remember.

She glanced outside to take her mind off such thoughts. Night was falling, and she could hear the fluttering sound of sails being furled, and the sloshing of water against the ship's hull gradually dying down.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>The two crews convened on the deck, the disciplined ranks of the Cipher Pol agents assembling at the prow standing in stark contrast to the mostly aimless mob that was Lina's group. Just ahead, a cluster of lights could be seen, sweeping search beams mounted onto a ring of cliffs, diligently scanning the darkened seas.<p>

"This is Navarone Island, home of the G-8 base." Lucci spoke, his voice cutting through the chatter. "Once we take what we want, there will be no need for us to wait."

"Oi Lucci, you aren't just ordering this because you wanna spill some blood are you?" Jabra asked conspiratorially. "How do we even know they'll have an Eternal Pose for Alabasta?"

"No, he's probably right." Kaku replied. "A base's fleet would be expected to deploy in a timely manner to any island within its jurisdiction. Alabasta is a little out of the way for G-8, but with the recent incident there that lead to Crocodile's dismissal, there's a high chance that they'll have it."

"I've checked the base's docks." Blueno added. "Vice Admiral Jonathan's battleship is not present."

"So? What'd you call us up here for?" Lina sniffed. It was windy outside, even though they'd stopped moving, and she was already longing for the warm radiance of the ship's deckhouse.

"We will invade the base, and return when we have an Eternal Pose, which points perpetually to a single Grand Line island." Blueno explained. "Then we can set out immediately for our destination."

"Yoyoi! And you, our trusted and most honorable allies," Kumadori chimed in, "must remain here and safeguard the ship from enemy attack!"

Lina gave a curt nod, and watched as the three preeminent agents took off toward the base. Blueno stretched out a hand, pulling apart a section of air to form a doorway into his hazy green dimension, closing it behind him once Fukuro, Kumadori and Kalifa had entered.

"They're so cool!" Amelia squealed, eyes shining. "A team of secret agents, fighting villains in the name of justice!"

Lina snorted. She had half-opened her mouth to remind Amelia that they'd been fighting the very same team just that morning, then stopped herself as she hit upon a new train of thought.

"Well, I don't see why we all have to stand out here at the same time." She suggested. "How about you take first watch then Amelia? If anything happens, I'll be inside."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Once the others were gone, Amelia quickly seated herself on the thick wooden railing at the fore of the ship, squinting into the darkness to try and pick up what she could. One searchlight flickered out, then another, until the exterior of the base was plunged into darkness.<p>

In her mind, Amelia pictured the agents darting silently from cover to cover, traversing the base while eluding patrols. Maybe they could even trail lone guards right out in the open, using bursts of super-speed to keep out of sight while flashing cool poses in the process. In the unlikely event that they were spotted, a quick chop would knock the soldier out before he could utter a peep, leaving the remaining defenders none the wiser.

The sound of footsteps on the deck behind her pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked toward the source to see Zelgadis coming to relieve her.

"I'll take over the watch." He offered. "The night gets pretty cold out here on the sea."

Amelia shook her head. "No, I wanna stay here a little longer." She said, then added. "But, if you want, why don't you come wait with me?"

Zelgadis nodded his assent, leaning against the railing beside her, and for a while, the two of them watched in companionable silence.

It was broken by a scream.

It wasn't a scream borne of fright, or even a simple cry of pain; this was an eerie sound, as if all of a man's hopes and dreams were erupting out as a single outcry, wrenched from the living world and cast into the afterlife.

"What?!" Amelia managed to blurt out. Beside her, Zelgadis furrowed his brows.

Though she could only listen, it was like witnessing a catastrophe in slow motion. Gunshots rang out and cannons thundered, only to be cut short, replaced by a ghastly chorus of cries. In between them, she could just make out sounds that could've been begging, before they were terminated like all the others. Her imagination filled in the gaps, painting for her a grisly picture of what their allies were doing. She leaned forward, covered her mouth with a hand, and retched.

A moment of silence was followed by a sound like a creaking hinge. An air door opened on the deck and Blueno stepped through, moving aside to make way for his colleagues. Lucci emerged last, his white spotted shirt and dark coat matted with blood, reeking of death. In his hand was clutched an hourglass-like frame, with a single glass orb held in its center, and a tiny needle floating inside.

"Mission accomplished." Lucci spoke with a shark-like grin.

"You killed them." Amelia drew in her arms and averted her eyes. She suddenly felt very cold. Beside her, Zelgadis growled, fingering the pommel of his sword and the hilts of his pistols.

"They were just doing their job, they never did anything to you." She was starting to tremble. "They screamed and begged and you just killed them."

"They were weak." Lucci turned to rejoin the other agents, who had stopped to wait for him by the cabin door.

"That was their sin. And this is my justice."

Zelgadis waited in silence until the agents had filed in through the door.

"Hey, come on." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Let's get you to your room."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina yawned and stretched her limbs as she felt the first warm rays of dawn sweeping over her face. It looked like it would be a pleasant day; the sea was calm, the sky was clear, and in the distance she could just make out the dark silhouette of some monstrous sea serpent, emerging for a breath of the crisp morning air before dipping back beneath the surface.<p>

She briefly wondered if it tasted like dragon.

Lina glanced over at Milina's empty bed on the far side of the room, with neatly folded covers occupying one side of the mattress. Not many people got up early enough to be gone before her.

Amelia lay closer, wrapped tightly within her blankets. She had woken up gasping several times during the night, though she seemed to be getting some restful slumber now.

Lina rose and put on her clothes, hooking her cape to her pauldrons and giving her hair a quick brush. There'd be time to investigate later. Now was breakfast time.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Amelia didn't wake until noon, when Zelgadis had knocked on her door to see if she was alright. Now she swallowed as she stood in front of the entrance to the captain's cabin, where the seven agents were gathered for their afternoon tea. They were well into their second day at sea, but the two groups remained noticeably disconnected, seldom mingling except during meal times.<p>

To Amelia's surprise, the chatter inside died down, and the door swung open to reveal Kaku standing in the doorway. With one hand, he gestured for her to join them, while he poured her a cup and pulled up an empty chair with the other.

"Thank you Mr. Kaku." Amelia said and took the offered cup. She sat down, feeling the eyes of all seven agents turning toward her. Some, like Fukuro and Kumadori, wore curious looks, while Blueno and Kalifa remained stoically neutral. Lucci's expression was one that she could not read at all.

"Gonna say something?" Jabra asked, cracking his neck then taking a sip from his mug.

"Well, you guys said you were government agents right?" Amelia asked. "I was just wondering, what does an agent do, exactly?"

"We are agents of Cipher Pol, as we have said." Blueno explained.

"There are eight publically acknowledged Cipher Pol cells stationed around the four Blues and the Grand Line. They perform espionage and provide assistance to the Marines' intelligence division, though they are concerned more with political matters than criminal and military."

Amelia nodded. While Saillune preferred to cultivate relationships of openness and trust with the other kingdoms on the continent, there were always some unsavory types against whom clandestine activity was necessary.

"We were members of the Ninth, an unofficial unit along with the Zeroth. We performed some of the same duties as the eight official branches, but in addition, we were trained and given license to kill any individual who acts in a manner that is contrary to the World Government's interests."

Amelia felt her blood run cold as a distant childhood memory tugged at the back of her mind.

"Wait, so you're saying that… that you're-"

"Our primary occupation was assassination." Blueno confirmed.

Assassins. Amelia shivered at that word, as images of her mother's death flooded her vision, her blood pumping onto the floor and mixing with that of her murderer. Her elder sister Gracia had departed the following day, taking with her a memento from their mother's closet, and they never did find out who'd sent the killer. Investigations had determined only that the assassin's intended target was Gracia herself; perhaps it was even someone from within her own family.

"Y-yoyoi… are you well?" Kumadori ventured.

Amelia blinked and nodded, breathing deep to calm her nerves. Still, here was a group of assassins, who, by their own admission, had until recently been given free reign to kill in the name of the World Government. Was it right because it was necessary? What made something necessary? What made it right?

Amelia found herself recalling Shiki's words. She was about to reply when the entire ship rattled with the booming thunder of cannonfire.

"What now?!" Jabra snapped in irritation as the tremors caused his grip to waver, spilling hot tea onto his bare chest.

"Pirates. Troublesome, but not unexpected." Blueno said, pushing his seat back and standing up.

"We passed the island of Jaya not long ago." Kalifa added. "Probably a group of pirates thinking they can make an easy haul."

"Not unlike what your group was doing." She added slyly.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina and Gourry stood on the deck, gazing at the distant but fast-approaching pirate ship. It was a rather garish thing, with patches of bright, mismatched colors that invoked more distaste than fear when viewed. A fluttering white flag mounted atop its tallest mast was emblazoned with a coiled serpent symbol, fangs bared and tongue flicking.<p>

Lina laughed cruelly, causing Gourry to cringe.

"You know, it's been really long." Lina said. "Finally we get to fight some completely normal pirates, without any floating islands, giant monsters or martial artists on their side."

A burst of smoke sent a cannonball soaring their way, which she detonated in midair with a salvo of flare arrows.

The captain of the other ship seemed to interpret the fiery blast as a hit, and the pirate ship tilted its rudder and closed to board. Soon the pirates were close enough to be heard, and Lina could hear them shouting out their threats; something about handing over her ship's valuables in exchange for their lives.

She snorted. Their lines were so run-of-the-mill.

An air door opened behind her and Blueno stepped through, while the remaining agents dashed out of the various windows and portholes. Assembling on the side of the ship facing the pirates, the seven agents cut a pretty imposing figure in the afternoon light. The pirates hesitated.

"Hold on just a second." Lina quickly cut in. "I saw these guys first. They're all mine."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>A couple of fireballs later and the pirate ship was left burning and sinking behind them, while the survivors scrambled for the handful of floating planks that Lina had so graciously left intact.<p>

"Ah, treasure. Just what I needed to help me get over all this stress." Lina smiled as she landed back on deck, a sack of loot slung over one shoulder. Pouring out its contents, she began to sort them into the various compartments sewn onto her cape. The coins she slipped into one pouch, art objects into a small bag, and the few gemstones she'd poached were separated and placed into a side pocket. If they ever arrived somewhere where her crystal ball worked again, she could use some earth and water magic on them to sculpt them into more pleasing shapes, which would increase their trade value accordingly.

She frowned as she held up a wad of paper bills. Her mind was still having trouble ascribing value to these things. Maybe if she could find somewhere to spend some.

"Oh, why don't you wear this Zel? You always seem to be the one on top of this kind of stuff." Lina presented a Log Pose, snatched from one of the pirates before she'd dealt the finishing blow to their ship.

Zelgadis nodded and clipped the device to his wrist, following the examples they had seen. Folding up her cloak, Lina rose and inspected the hovering needle, noting that it diverged somewhat from their ship's heading.

"So, where's this one pointing to?" She asked the agents.

"The island west of Jaya on this route should be Ukkari Island." Blueno replied. "I am unaware of any notable features."

"Actually, Ukkari Island recently acquired a new set of hot springs, chapapa." Fukuro cut in. "Just built, and I heard they're really good."

"Ooh, can we go there?" Lina blurted immediately, eliciting a round of strange looks.

"Come on, what's the big deal? I mean it's not like we're going to get to our destination today right?" She pressed on despite, turning to Kalifa for confirmation. "So where's the harm in spending an evening at the springs, relaxing before battle?"

"It's true." Kalifa conceded. "At our current speed, we should arrive at Alabasta tomorrow either way."

Lina suspected that she was secretly wanting to go too.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>The G-8 base on Navarone Island had always been labeled as "peace-crazy" by its detractors. Heavily armed and surrounded by a ring of cliffs, the island was avoided by pirates, and thus the base itself saw very little combat. This in turn gave it value as a repair and recuperation stop, for damaged ships and Marine soldiers injured in the line of duty. Here they could rest easy, secure in the knowledge that no trouble would come calling.<p>

Nonetheless, there were those at Marine Headquarters who saw G-8 as useless, and some had tried several times in the past to have it closed down. Kuzan personally felt that such drastic actions were counterproductive, and had quietly filed his opposition to them every time. It was one of the few things on which he saw eye-to-eye with Sakazuki.

Kuzan wore a grim expression, and said nothing as he walked the blood-slicked halls of the base. He'd ordered his ships back to G-8 for maintenance after another day of fruitless searching, only to find over a hundred Marine soldiers murdered in cold blood. Telltale signs spoke of the perpetrators' identities; bullet-like penetration wounds with no bullet to be found. Severed body parts, accompanied by massive gouges torn into the nearby walls and floors. Embedded slugs, deformed as if they had been rebounded by some impenetrable object. The main gate was still intact, with no signs of forced entry by a ship.

"Admiral sir!" A Marine shouted from behind him. "We've done an inventory as you requested! Nothing was amiss except…"

Kuzan turned. "Except?"

"Except the base's Eternal Pose for the country of Alabasta."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>The crew pulled up the ship's and dropped anchor at the hot-springs island's southern shore, right next to the bathhouse's entrance. Beyond the walls, Lina could see clouds of steam drifting up from the baths, and hear the sound of water bubbling and gushing from fountains. A smattering of voices were audible as well, but strangely, the island didn't have any docks on which they could moor their ship, nor did they see any other ships anchored around its perimeter.<p>

Lina quickly put that thought from her head and giggled. The place looked even better than she had imagined. Lucci and Blueno weren't coming anyway, so they would be on hand if anything went wrong with the ship.

Debarking with the rest of her party, Lina strode through the entrance, approaching the receptionist with a wad of money in hand. She stared quizzically for a moment at the tall, dark-skinned man, her eyes falling upon a pair of small, feathered wings sprouting from his back. She shrugged.

"So, how much will it be for eleven?" Lina asked, leaning on the front counter. She didn't feel too bad paying for everyone if it was going to be with her paper notes.

The man mumbled something back that she couldn't really hear.

"What's that?" She pressed.

"Miss Lina, I think he's trying to talk with his mouth closed." Amelia pointed out.

Lina looked up at the receptionist, who was staring down and gesticulating at her, but with his lower lip stuck inside his mouth, his attempts to speak came out as a series of unintelligible grunts.

"Say something with your mouth open you idiot!" Lina screeched.

"Ah! How careless!" The man blurted in surprise.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina folded up her robes and removed her earrings, then wrapped herself in a towel and tied her hair back with her headband. She slid open the wooden door that lead to the spring, and stepped into the evening air.<p>

Lina gasped in delight. The full moon above cast its light down through the drifting clouds of vapor, bestowing upon them a sort of ethereal, dream-like quality. The pool itself was dyed a lovely sky blue by whatever minerals flowed through its waters, and wide enough that several small islands of smooth rock could be seen jutting out from its surface. A gushing fountain in the back provided the finishing touches to the bath's calming atmosphere.

The springs were newly established, and the other female guests had retired to their rooms, so they had the women's bath all to themselves. Lina dipped a toe into the balmy waters, then lowered herself down, leaving her towel on a nearby stone. Amelia was already deep in relaxation, immersed in water up to her nose, eyes closed and face flushed red from the warmth. Milina sat off to the side, leaning against the pool's edge.

Kalifa emerged last from the women's changing rooms, giving Lina a wink and a smile as she walked toward the pool, swaying her hips seductively as she did. Lina shut her eyes and turned away as Kalifa dipped into the pool, though when she peeked again she saw that the lone female agent had kept her towel on and did not allow the water to reach her chest. Oh right, Devil Fruit.

Lina gritted her teeth as a furious argument erupted from the men's section, interrupting her peaceful repose. Jabra and Fukuro's voices were the loudest, clearly audible over the splashing and the gushing of the fountain, joined by a few others that she didn't recognize. Kneeling to raise her head above the surface, Lina cleared her ears of water, allowing her to make out a few snatches of the conversation.

"What's that zipper on your mouth good for if you can't keep it shut!"

"Can't do anything about it now, chapapa!"

"Shut up! And don't try to 'chapapa' me! I took my eyes off you for a minute and you went and told everyone all about our plans!"

The heads of the four women turned slowly to share a worried glance.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina snatched up her towel and threw it around herself. Oh, why did it have to turn out like this? Throwing etiquette to the wind, she invoked a Levitation, soaring over the divider and into the men's section.<p>

Though Blueno and Lucci had remained on the ship, the men's bath was still rather crowded, with seven guys present between their two crews. Three other men stood off to one side, clothed in loose desert apparel. The sullen expressions they wore indicated that they definitely had a stake in this, and from their scars, it looked like they weren't just some ordinary people either.

Nonetheless, whatever concerns they had had been sidelined for the moment by the frantic argument between Jabra and Fukuro. Lina watched as the former clambered onto his colleague's stout chest and tugged at his zipper mouth to emphasize his point. Kaku tried to weigh in, and when words failed to get through, he stood up and forcibly separated the squabbling pair.

Catching himself, Jabra turned instead toward the three strangers, murderous intent burning within his eyes. A carpet of dark fur flowed down his back, and his face stretched outward, bones cracking as they reshaped themselves into a long, lupine snout. A thick, bushy tail sprouted from his back, twitching with jittery energy.

"See to it that the ship's ready to sail when I get back." He growled. "I'll be quick."

Lina opened her mouth to yell for him to stop when a feminine voice cut her off. All eyes turned toward the dressing room, where a young woman stood in the doorway, dressed in a pair of light jeans and a dark tank top, with wavy blue hair tied into a loose ponytail.

Cries of "Princess" and "Princess Vivi" spilled from the mouths of the three men.

"Please stop." The princess pleaded again. "We'll do what you want. Just please, tell me what's happening in my country."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Ukkari Hot Springs Island is, of course, from Gedatsu's Accidental Blue-Sea Life. Along with CP9's Independent Report, I guess that's two cover stories that this arc uses.

Gah, I'm so uncreative. I really need to stop ending chapters like this. And that's the last of my pre-written chapters, so please be patient, as the next one will take a bit longer.


	13. Chapter 13 - A Place to Return to

**Chapter 13: A Place to Return to**

**Cipher Pol Arc**

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina arrived at the conference room that had been cleared out for them, taking a moment to fasten her earrings, clip on her talismans and straighten her hair out a bit. She stepped through the doorway, followed by the rest of her party. Well, other than Xellos; nobody had seen any sign of him since early yesterday.<p>

The room was fairly spacious, dominated by a long, wooden table, though it was currently a little crowded with all the members of CP9 crammed around the end where Lucci was seated. The princess - Vivi, she'd been called - occupied the other end, accompanied by guard captain Igaram. Standing behind her, the guard captain did his best to look the part with a stern-faced expression, but his small red nose and curled hairstyle made him seem more amusing than intimidating.

Lina rattled off a quick introduction for her party, then pulled out a chair for herself halfway across the long end of the table. Her friends did the same, except for Gourry, who opted instead to lean against the wall behind her. Sitting at Lina's left, Luke yawned and opened his mouth to say something, but a sharp glance from Milina convinced him to hold his tongue.

The princess's two remaining attendants left to stand guard outside, and the CP9 agents began their explanation of the developments leading up to the current situation. Recognition bloomed on Vivi's face as they spoke; apparently their defeat at the hands of pirates was pretty big news.

Having heard all that already, Lina tuned out the explanations, glancing over at the princess and idly studying her expression. The girl was dressed in casual vacation clothing, and she didn't look any older than Lina was. She certainly didn't seem like a stereotypical princess, carrying herself with a distinct air of modesty and simplicity.

Lina watched as Vivi tensed and gnawed at her lip when Blueno broached the subject of Spandam's ultimate goal. Kaku picked up the story from there, finishing with what they knew about their former chief's connections and proclivities. Though Vivi said nothing, from the way her shoulders trembled, it seemed like she was suppressing a scream or struggling not to cry.

Lina leaned back and looked to her right at Amelia, who had taken a deep breath and looked torn between wanting to comfort the princess and wanting to give her her space.

Yeah, Amelia had been there before too.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"'What's happening in Alabasta right now?" The princess pleaded. "How many of them are in Alubarna? And what are they-" her words seemed to lock in her throat, "-what are they doing to my father?"<p>

Lucci sat like a statue until the princess had finished venting. Hattori fluttered down, perching quietly on his right shoulder. Behind him, several of his colleagues exchanged sympathetic glances, while Kumadori looked down with a remorseful expression and shook his head. Igaram stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Vivi's shoulder.

Were he a less disciplined sort, Lucci might have cracked a smile of amusement at the situation he was in. If it were up to him, he would have simply eliminated the princess and her entourage, along with the rest of the island's staff just to be sure. Their goals were related perhaps, but the risks they presented outweighed any value added by their minimal combat capabilities. The only reason he was here, putting up with this pretense of "negotiation" was because of the stubborn insistence of his temporary associates.

"That is everything we know about the situation." Lucci said. "We don't have any information on precisely what assets the chief may have deployed to your country."

"Then-" Vivi stood up, fists clenched, "then I have to return to Alubarna right away."

"I can't let you do that." Lucci leaned forward, eyes darkening. "Your interference might alert the chief to our whereabouts."

"Hey, let's all just calm down for a sec and think this through first." Lina tried to interject.

Vivi grit her teeth. "You could never understand." She argued back. "I am the princess of Alabasta. What if the royal army is fighting the occupiers right now? Thousands of people could die if I don't get back in time."

"People die." Lucci replied tonelessly. "And if you try to get in our way, I will personally ensure that you don't even make it back to your kingdom."

The princess's eyes went wide while her guard captain stepped in front, shielding her with an outstretched arm. The door flung open, and the two remaining attendants rushed in, glaring at Lucci with hands gripped tightly around their swords. Lucci rose from his seat, returning the two men's gazes, and to their credit, neither man flinched beneath his stare. Lina's eyes darted to and fro, trying to work out a course of action. Well, the decision was already settled in Lucci's mind, and his allies would just have to accept the result.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Vivi forced her eyes to her counterpart among the CP9 and fought down a wave of terror. There was no hesitation in the man's posture, and she could see his eyes scanning her side of the room, mapping out a path that would allow him to cut past Igaram and make his way to her.<p>

CP9. As a member of Alabasta's royal family, Vivi was aware of the eight lesser Pols, who mostly occupied themselves gathering intelligence on pirate and revolutionary activity. And though she had never heard of the ninth Pol until recently, the weight of their deeds could be felt. Notorious pirates mysteriously ceasing activity, revolutionary leaders suddenly disappearing, even royals were not immune once their ties to "undesirable" elements were exposed.

The group's narrow defeat at the hands of the Straw Hat Pirates had made front page news, and unlike the events in Alabasta, the pirates' involvement could not be covered up. Vivi had traveled with the Straw Hats for a time, when they had saved her country from the depredations of the Warlord Crocodile, and she had seen firsthand the monstrous strength of their top fighters. Plus, their captain was Straw Hat Luffy, who would go to any length and take any pain for the sake of his crewmates. Vivi glanced down at a spot on her left arm, where the faded remnant of a painted 'X' was still visible on her skin.

But the Straw Hats were gone off on their own adventures, and she couldn't be with them. As the princess and next in line for the throne, she had a responsibility to her kingdom, which was once again threatened by the burden that it had carried since the Void Century.

Vivi was prepared to give her life for even a chance to protect her country. Even if they were nominally the enemies of her enemy, she couldn't just place her faith in the plans of some... assassins. She had to speak up, had to do something.

Lucci's hand twitched, jolting Vivi back to the situation at hand, while Igaram, Chaka and Pell jerked in response. Vivi bit her lip. If CP9 was strong enough to challenge the Straw Hats, then could the four of them hold them off? Already, the lead agent was toying with them, like a cat playing with mice.

"Don't do it, Mr. Lucci." The dark-haired girl, Amelia, spoke up. Lucci evinced no response, as if he hadn't even heard, so Amelia stood up to emphasize her point.

"Why not?" Lucci's head turned slowly toward Amelia. "She has made it clear that she is an obstacle to our goals."

Vivi realized then that she had overlooked this third crew, and she noticed that the CP9 agents had never actually detailed the terms of their alliance.

"Mr. Lucci, you shouldn't talk about people like that." Amelia said. "Every person has hopes and dreams, and some are bigger, and some are smaller, but nobody's is more or less important. And when you kill someone, you're stealing all of these away, taking everything they have and everything they could have had. And yes, sometimes it has to be done, but you talked about sin and justice didn't you?"

"What justice is there in killing a princess who just wants to save her kingdom?"

"I have to agree with Amelia here." The red-haired girl added, fixing Lucci with a glare. "There'll be no killing, fighting or anything like that here today, got it?"

"And what, then, should we do-" Lucci gestured toward Vivi with a hand, "-if she decides to run off on her own and alerts the Chief to our arrival?"

"Please, Miss Vivi." Amelia pleaded, turning to address her. "These people are really dangerous. If you go by yourself, then you're risking your life for no reason."

A gulp of nervous saliva inched its way down Vivi's throat.

"I have nothing else to risk." She said slowly.

Amelia blinked in response.

"But we're all risking our lives for this, aren't we?" She said, breaking into a wide smile.

Vivi felt something warm take root in her chest as Amelia's words touched upon a cherished memory, the feeling mirrored by an identical sensation emanating from the mark on her arm. A strangled gasp tore its way from her throat, and the royal guards glanced at her with worried expressions. She closed her eyes for a moment, then with a deep breath, she opened them once more.

"Alright." Vivi nodded. She sat back down, pulling her seat to the table, and watched as Lucci did the same.

"What's the plan?" She said.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Whew." Lina blew a lock of coppery hair from her face, letting out a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. She glanced over at Amelia, who was smiling contentedly.<p>

"Well, I guess we came in here hoping you would know something." Lina addressed the Alabastan princess, returning to the topic at hand. "So I suppose all we can do is sail over to where the bad guys are and give 'em a beating, right?"

"That might not be possible." Vivi shook her head. "To get to Alubarna by water, you would have to sail up the Sandora River, and then travel east across the desert. It's a difficult journey, and I don't know if you would make it in time."

"And that's probably the move these guys are expecting too." Lina finished for her. "Well, shoot."

"But we do have another way." Vivi nodded. "This island is linked to Alabasta by a tunnel, and the other side opens just outside of Alubarna. It was dug just a little while ago, and hasn't really been opened to the public, so I could go back first, and confirm that it's clear before sending Scissors back to bring you all."

"I can verify that it is." A feminine voice floated into the room before Lina could ask what this 'Scissors' was. "It's how I got here after all."

Lina turned to look over her shoulder and saw that the meeting room door was open, held by a slender young woman who was standing in front of it, dressed in a long, frilly gown with a red rose tucked into her dark hair. By all accounts, she was quite beautiful, and Lina felt a pang of jealousy at her generously proportioned breasts. Damnit, it was like the world was going out of its way to spite her.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Lina asked.

"You can call me Viola." The woman replied. "I'm the translator for the archeological expedition that seems to be the topic of discussion here."

A round of murmurs and gasps rippled across the room, all save for Lucci, whose expression shifted to a predatory smirk, and Vivi, who had closed her eyes in thought.

"So you're telling us that if we eliminate you now, then the chief's goals cannot be accomplished." Lucci spoke, his voice low and conspiratorial. "That certainly makes things easier."

"Oh, don't give me that." Viola frowned at him. "Even if you did kill me, how long do you think it would take before your former director found somebody else? You know as well as I do that the Five Elders are backing this venture."

"Besides, I came out here to try and help you." She added.

"And what makes you think we're just going to believe that?" Lina said. "This all seems pretty suspicious to me."

Releasing the door and allowing it to close behind her, Viola stepped over to Lina's seat, with the thumb and index finger of one hand bent into a circle.

"Here, look through this and confirm for yourself." She said, kneeling down and placing her hand in front of Lina's face, so that Lina's eye was looking through the circle she had formed.

Lina gasped as a flood of images flashed through her mind. She saw a sea of sand, endless stretches of dunes shimmering in the desert's heat haze. She saw Alubarna, the kingdom's capital, built on a plateau of solid rock, its domed palaces gleaming in the harsh sun. And wait, how did she connect that image with the name?

The visions focused inward, fixating on the palace, showing former CP9 director Spandam wrapped head-to-toe in layered bandages like a mummy. Though he was too injured to walk and had to be wheeled around by an attendant, he was awfully good at running his mouth, barking orders to the exhausted servants as if he'd been crowned king himself. A pair of masked agents shadowed him at all times, nameless and wraithlike. Lina caught a glimpse of Viola's attendants, known by their aliases, Buffalo and Baby 5 of the Donquixote…

Lina jerked back as Viola withdrew her hand, and the parade of images came to an end. She coughed once, wiped her eyes with her hands, then blinked a few times to clear her mind of the visions.

"Wow." Lina sat motionless for a moment, trying to process all that she had seen. "Those were… memories right?"

Viola nodded back. "That's my ability, the power to see through everything."

"Even into the mind." She added quietly.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Viola wasted no time bringing the princess and the two crews up to speed on events in Alabasta. Fortunately, she hadn't gotten a chance yet to use her ability to translate, since the tomb containing the Poneglyph was still being excavated. Of course, Viola had made it clear that they were still working on a deadline, even if they would've liked more time to think things through.<p>

"As blunt as they often are, the World Government still doesn't want to move openly against the Alabasta Kingdom, so your former chief is their cover for this whole thing." She addressed the CP9 agents. "Whether things go right, or they go wrong, everything can be pinned on him."

The hours flew by while Lina and her friends tossed out suggestions based on what they knew, and the CP9 agents contributed some of their unique expertise regarding this particular line of work. The front desk closed down, and the island's elderly proprietor peeked in to check up on them, before retiring to his quarters for the night. Throughout it all, Vivi spoke very little, only raising her voice to confirm or deny any inquiries that were raised.

"Now, we know how we'll get in, but we can't just make a big mess fighting it out in the capital." Lina said, before pausing as a thought struck her. "So we'll need some sort of diversion to get all of these goons away from the city. Then, we can go in through the tunnel, and get what we want."

"How do we do that?" Zelgadis crossed his arms. "Wouldn't that require a few of us to already be in the area?"

"I might have a way." Viola offered. "With my clairvoyance I can see over long distances; it's how I found you all here. If I tell them that intruders are arriving by sea, then they'll have to believe me."

"And then some of us can be there as a distraction." Lina pounded her palm with a fist. "Of course, that does mean we'll have to split up. Everyone okay with that?"

That garnered a round of nods.

"Alright, so here's the plan." Lina announced. "Out of all of us, Vivi will go back to Alabasta first; that way it'll be less suspicious. Then Viola will tell the bad guys to head south to the mouth of the Sandora River, near Nanohana, where our ship will meet them and distract them. Then, when Vivi gives us the all-clear with one of those snail talkers that we have on our ship, me and whoever else wants to come can head over through the tunnel. Then we'll beat up the mummy-man, free the king, and without their cover guy, they'll have to give up the whole gig."

"And then, I'll get to have a look at the Poneglyph for myself." Lina finished.

"Relax!" She added, noticing the unhidden stares from the princess's entourage. "I don't want it for the battleship. I just need to see if it has any other information related to the one I've already looked at. Promise."

Viola's eyes met Lina's.

"You can understand the ancient texts?" She asked.

"Well, not me." Lina said, waving a hand aimlessly as she tried to explain herself. "It's someone I know, but who we haven't seen in a while. He'll turn up eventually though."

"Alright, then I think it's time for me to leave." Viola stood up and made her way to the door. "It wouldn't be good for me to be gone too long, or else the others will get suspicious. If all goes well, this'll be the last we see of each other, but perhaps we can meet again on these seas."

"Wait." Vivi's voice cut in. Viola froze.

"You're princess Viola, of Dressrosa right?" Vivi asked. She had a thoughtful look on her face, which was gradually replaced by one of horror as she connected the dots together.

"Eight years ago, the Riku family of Dressrosa was overthrown." Vivi continued. "And then, the kingdom was given to the Warlord Doflamingo, and… Oh. Oh no."

Viola turned, giving Vivi a wistful smile, and a single glistening tear rolled down the side of her cheek.

"That's why I came." She said, her voice fading to a hoarse whisper. "I didn't want to see another princess without a kingdom to return to."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>With Viola's departure, the CP9 members filed out as well, heading back to shore to prepare the ship. All save for Lucci at least, who had insisted on being part of the insertion group. By Kalifa's estimate, they were still the better part of a day away from the shores of Alabasta, meaning they needed to set sail as soon as possible to make it in time for the plan.<p>

Sitting on the stairs by the bathhouse entrance, Amelia watched as Zelgadis clambered aboard, lending a hand in the preparations. Someday, they'd have to do this themselves, so better to get used to it while they were still among company.

"Hey." Amelia turned to see Vivi stepping out from the entrance's sliding door. Dressed in a sleeveless tank top, the Alabastan princess shivered slightly in the chilly night air, then seated herself next to Amelia on the bathhouse steps.

"I just wanted to say thank you, for back there." Vivi began, gazing down at the ground. "I got a little carried away, and I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't said something to them."

"Yeah, they are pretty scary right?" Amelia smiled. A loud crash drew her gaze back to the ship, where an argument had broken out over some darkness-induced mishap.

"Well, if you don't mind my asking, how did you all start traveling with them?" Vivi asked.

Amelia paused to think. With all that had happened in just the past two days, the events leading up to their alliance actually really seemed like a long time ago.

"It's a long story." She said at last. "But I guess you can say we kind of needed each other."

Vivi made a thoughtful noise, seeming to take that in, and it became Amelia's turn to make an inquiry.

"Will you be okay letting us- I mean letting Miss Lina look at the ancient writing?"

Vivi closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I am a little worried." She admitted, turning her gaze skyward.

"A while ago, a pirate tried to take over Alabasta, kind of like these men are doing now." Vivi explained. "He wanted Pluton, which is said to have the power to destroy whole islands. And that's why the World Government forbids anyone from reading the Poneglyphs, to keep these weapons out of the wrong hands. It looks like they changed their mind."

Amelia blinked. Knowing that, it didn't seem right to her to press the issue.

"But if it means that much to you, I think I can trust you." Vivi smiled. "Especially after you trusted me."

Amelia opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Zelgadis' distant calls, urging her to hurry aboard. Luke and Milina emerged, making their way to the ship as well, and Amelia got up to follow them.

"Be safe okay?" She waved back at Vivi.

"You too." Vivi replied.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Standing at the entrance to the Ukkari-Alabasta tunnel, Lina could only gape at the sight before her. It wasn't even the tunnel itself, which seemed to stretch out endlessly into the earth, so deep that even a pulsed light spell wasn't sufficient to illuminate its depths. No, it was what was inside it.<p>

A gargantuan crab sat within the channel, as tall as a two-story inn and twice as wide, armed with a pair of stubby claws, the right larger than the left. A carriage attached to its back enabled passengers to sit comfortably, with a lamp on either end to help the crustacean see where it was going. Lina grimaced as her gaze fell on the creature's oddly articulate face, which seemed to be permanently stretched into a creepy leering expression.

Lina turned when she heard the princess's entourage approaching. She noticed Lucci following behind them, having changed into a dark suit jacket, barely visible in the dark if it were not for the pigeon on his shoulder. Lina scanned the agent's expression, finding it uninformative as always. In the distance, the ship's mast began to move, picking up speed as its sails caught the wind and carried it past Ukkari's shores.

"So this is 'Scissors'?" Lina asked the princess. "Is it really safe to ride?"

"Hmm?" Vivi blinked as she passed. "Of course. Watch."

Locating a ladder attached to the crustacean's rear, Vivi clambered into the carriage, followed by her royal guards. To its credit, the crab remained motionless until the last passenger had entered, and Vivi pulled the carriage door closed behind them.

"Good luck!" Lina flashed them a thumbs up, and Vivi returned the gesture. Acknowledging that there were no more passengers for this trip, the crab scuttled off into the depths, the glare of its attached lighting vanishing into the distance.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" Gourry called from behind, his footsteps growing closer. Lina turned with an exasperated sigh, raising a hand to explain, then elected to wave the swordsman off without saying anything.

"Why is he coming?" Lucci asked suddenly, his voice betraying a slight hint of irritation.

"Because." Lina wheeled around and gave the agent a glare. "He's my protector. What other reason do you need?"

"Hn, what good is a protector that can't fight." Lucci replied, turning and heading back toward the rooms. "But suit yourself."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Lina yawned and stretched her arms as the first rays of sunlight crawled across her face. The women's room she'd reserved was silent, now that it was just her. She pulled her sheets back up over her chin. They had stayed up pretty late last night. Just another five or ten minutes.<p>

A soft knock on her door caused her to open her sleepy eyes.

"What?" She mumbled groggily.

"Miss Lina right? You have a message." The bathhouse owner replied from the other side. "It's from the princess."

Lina sat up. "Yeah? What about?"

"She says they're ready. Ready for what though? She wouldn't tell me."

Lina rose quickly and put on her clothes, attaching her cape and snapping her shoulder plates into place. No turning back now. It was do or die.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Amelia stood at the ship's bow, gazing ahead into the distance. They'd experienced a few bouts of rough weather during the night, but now the climate was stable, which Kalifa informed her was an indication that they were nearing their destination. And indeed, when she squinted her eyes, Amelia could make out a thin strip of land on the distant horizon.<p>

"Hey, good work back there." Jabra arrived, leaning against another post nearby. "Sometimes that Lucci guy, he can get a little, you know."

"Yeah." Amelia nodded, moving closer to a comfortable conversational distance.

"I guess the life of an assassin really was the right one for him." Jabra added. "I bet that guy has no regrets at all."

"So do you have anything that you regret then, Mr. Jabra?" Amelia asked.

Jabra made a thoughtful noise. "Yeah, I guess I do."

For a while the two stood in the morning breeze while the landmass in the distance grew closer. A flock of birds soared overhead as the shore came into view, the bright sand standing in stark contrast to the deep blue sea.

"Say, about your friend there." Jabra tilted his head toward the back of the ship, where Zelgadis sat, poring over a map. "What is he? Is that an ability or something?"

Amelia turned to look at Zelgadis. "Oh." She replied. "That happened because of an experiment that somebody did to him. One of the reasons we're traveling is to try and find a cure, and turn Mr. Zelgadis back to normal."

"A cure eh?" Jabra brought his fingers to his chin. "I might know about something like that."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Baby 5 looked on from her perch atop Buffalo's back, high above the island and out of sight, scanning the seas with a pair of binoculars.<p>

"I've got something!" She shouted to her partner over the rushing wind and the constant drone of his propellers. "Navy ship, approaching from the south like Violet said. That's the target right?"

"Sounds like it!" Buffalo replied. "I'm takin' us a little lower. You call up that other guy and tell him to dive in."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Something was approaching, cutting across the surface of the sea, moving so quickly that it seemed to be just a blur of white sea spray. It closed the distance in an instant, then exploded from the water, landing softly on the deck of the ship.<p>

Amelia had to crane her head up to get a good look at their opponent. A man, or a person at least, standing over twice as tall as she did, with long, lanky legs taking up well over half his height. A flowing white robe and bearded red mask concealed most of his remaining features, but the implications were clear enough. Another agent of Zero, an Aigis.

"Hey! We've got company!" Jabra shouted to alert the others, having already transformed into his hybrid wolf form. He lunged, thrusting out a hand to pierce their foe with his claws, even as he drew back a fist for a follow-up attack.

The Aigis dropped to the ground to avoid the first blow, sweeping out his leg to knock Jabra off his feet. His gloved hand shot out from beneath his garment, spurting a jet of some thick oily substance, drenching Jabra as he got back to his feet. Then, hopping back a little, the Aigis kicked the air and set it alight, flinging a blade of burning wind directly at his opponent.

Fire touched oil, and Jabra screamed as he was set alight, the flames burning so fiercely that their tips reached the sails. Thinking quickly, Amelia invoked an Aqua Create, summoning a stream of water that erupted around her beleaguered ally. That only seemed to exacerbate the problem, as the burning oil hissed and sputtered, sending flaming droplets splattering across the deck.

"Isn't he a Devil Fruit user?" Zelgadis said as he arrived. "I thought they couldn't handle water?"

But Amelia could see it; a thin sheen of glistening oil that covered every inch of the Aigis agent's skin and clothing. Droplets of water that fell on his body simply slid off, repelled by this protective coating, never once making contact with the flesh underneath. That was how he could swim, how he could overcome his natural weakness.

The remaining CP9 agents arrived, taking up their battle stances, and a cannonball slammed into the sea surface, throwing up a fountain of white salty spray. A trio of warships could be seen in the distance, approaching from the mouth of the river, while the agent of Aigis took advantage of the distraction to vanish back into the murky depths. The flames guttered out at last, having consumed their remaining fuel, and Jabra collapsed onto the deck, burned and breathing heavily. Palms glowing with soft white radiance, Amelia rushed to her ally and called upon her magic to heal him.

A barrage of explosive shells slammed into the deck from above, shattering the front mast and rocking the vessel on its keel. Amelia was thrown onto her side, and she turned to look at the source.

What she had assumed to be a bird at first was revealed to be a large man, dressed in a thick fur coat with his arms spread out like wings. Spinning projections around his ankles and neck seemed to keep him aloft, while a slender woman stood on his back, dressed in a skimpy maid's outfit. One of her hands was transformed into the barrel of a cannon, a tendril of smoke curling up from its muzzle.

A blast of icy darts forced the airborne pair to swerve away before the woman could fire again. Invoking a Levitation, Milina signaled to Luke with a hand, and the pair took off to bring the battle into the skies.

"Let's go." Kaku waved to Fukuro and Blueno, and the bull-man produced an air-door, closing it once the other two had stepped through. Kumadori and Kalifa rushed to the fore, eyes scanning frantically for any sign of the underwater fighter.

"Ah! Where is he? Where is that oily bastard?!" Jabra exploded to his feet as his injuries were healed, bounding forward to join his two colleagues. "I'm gonna rip out his throat once I get my claws into him!"

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>The cool dampness of the undersea tunnel was replaced by a sweltering desert heat as Lina and her party stepped out from the carriage on their crab. Turning, she gazed up at the plateau that rose before her, and quickly located the white marble steps leading up to the nearest city entrance.<p>

To her mild surprise, the hooded guards at the gates made no attempt to impede their progress, allowing the group to pass with nothing more than a nod. Lina gave silent thanks to Vivi in her mind.

Alubarna's streets were alive with activity, packed with crowds of haggling customers and merchants calling out their wares from behind covered stalls. The air was filled with the aromas of freshly baked goods, and the scents of roasted meats that could almost be tasted on the tongue. It sure didn't seem like a place where there was a crisis going on.

Lina narrowed her eyes as she spotted groups of dark-suited agents moving through the crowds, and she waved her party to her, leading them through alleys and back corridors whenever possible to avoid notice. It would take a little longer, but the city was easy enough to navigate, for the memories Lina had been shown told her that all of the main avenues converged on the central plaza that stretched before the palace. Skirting around the city square, the group approached the great marble palace from the rear, and Lina invoked a Levitation to raise herself and Gourry to the second level, where the royal family and their servants lived. Lucci followed behind, stepping through the air as easily as if it were solid ground.

The palace's second level was in dire need of repair, the open areas littered with blocks of stone, boards of wood and bundles of metal beams, all with no one present to move them. A partially carved statue of a stylized falcon sat forgotten in a corner, while sacks of dirt for the manse's gardens were left half-spilled on the uneven marble tiles. Lina noted the reason out of the corner of her eye; all of the workers had been called away to work on excavating the tomb, visible from her vantage point, laboring under the harsh sun while suited agents watched callously.

"Ah, I was wondering when you would show up." A smooth and exceptionally articulate voice chimed in from the interior. Several heartbeats later, a masked man in a white suit and coat loped through the door.

"The young master of Dressrosa should really choose his allies more carefully." He spoke again, the movements of his mouth revealing that what appeared to be a mask was merely white make-up, drawn over a face so boringly bland as to appear to be literally made of porcelain.

Lina cursed inwardly. Even an ambush at the tunnel would've been preferable to this, fighting it out at the heart of the kingdom's capital, where she'd have to restrain herself from using some of her more powerful spells. She said nothing, merely moving to square her stance, while Gourry drew his sword and shifted protectively in front of her. Lucci edged toward the side, adjusting his tie, and Hattori took off from his shoulder, flapping away to a safe distance.

For his part, the Aigis agent merely tilted his bowler hat with a gloved hand, then continued to amble lazily about the palace grounds.

"After our dear translator vanished for the evening, then returned insisting that we all station ourselves in the south to prepare for some intruders, one could not help but be suspicious, no?" He continued. "And when the departed princess returns that very morning, well, the fact that you're here proves that there are no coincidences."

"What'd you do with her?!" Lina demanded.

"Me?" The Aigis agent pointed to himself. "I didn't do anything at all. I simply left her with the chief. Of course, if some pirates happened to break in, and the members of the royal family happened to get hurt in the turmoil, well that would be very unfortunate wouldn't it?"

"Enough talk." Lucci cut in, shifting to his towering hybrid form. He dashed forward, firing off a fusillade of piercing air bullets, leading into an overhead swipe of his black curved claws.

The Aigis agent bent his body to avoid the initial barrage, then stepped forward into the blow, easily absorbing the impact from Lucci's upper arm at close range. Lucci shifted his weight, delivering a roundhouse kick from the left, and his opponent somersaulted back, landing on a pile of wooden planks at the edge of the wall.

"Rune Flare!" Lina called, conjuring a incandescent barrage of flaming spears, fired right at their opponent as his feet touched down. If she couldn't match these guys in speed, she would just have to anticipate their movements, calculate where they would be in the next instant and aim her spells there.

She saw the agent reach down, his hand closing around one of the boards he was standing on, and then the spell hit. Waves of pulsating heat spilled out from the blast, reducing the remaining planks to embers and causing the stone beneath to melt and run like wax. Lina winced slightly; Vivi would just have to forgive this much.

Lina blinked as the flames faded, revealing the Aigis agent still standing, with a single wooden plank held in front of his body - the same one that he had reached down to grab. But that didn't make sense; there was no way a spell as powerful as the Rune Flare could be blocked by some rubbish that had just been picked up off the ground.

"Wh-what?"

Lina couldn't believe her eyes. The wooden plank was being tainted, invaded by black and red lines, which crawled across its length, splitting and multiplying like the veins of a leaf. The board's very form was warping as wicked spikes sprouted from its surface, and an array of curved, meat-carving hooks extended from its head. The section in the agent's grasp began to shrink, taking on the shape of a weapon's handle, fitting itself comfortably into its wielder's hand.

And the agent's hand had shifted too, the formerly innocuous appendage replaced by a thick, brutish fist, with knotted red skin that looked more fitting on an ogre or a troll.

"Ah, my apologies for the appearance." The agent said as he noticed Lina staring. "It's just that I only acquired this ability recently you see. They say that Mythical Zoan fruits are even rarer than Logias, and I have yet to get used to mine."

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> We're finally here, and it's time to talk about motifs, as promised.

Now as you may know, CP9's members follow an animal motif, and their individual themes are as follows.

**Lucci** - Leopard  
><strong>Kaku<strong> - Giraffe  
><strong>Jabra<strong> - Wolf  
><strong>Blueno<strong> - Bull  
><strong>Kumadori<strong> - Lion (frequently mistaken for Octopus)  
><strong>Fukuro<strong> - Owl  
><strong>Kalifa<strong> - Sheep  
><strong>Nero<strong> - Weasel  
><strong>Spandam<strong> - Panda

And as I stated earlier, CP0's members also follow a theme in this story, specifically a Yokai (Japanese folklore monsters) theme.

The long-armed member is based on a Tenaga-jin, which is a human-like creature with extremely long arms, which it uses to grab fish out of the ocean. This is mirrored by that particular agent's strategy of knocking opponents into the water to finish off there.

The long-legged member is based on the Ashinaga-jin, which is the other half of the Ashinaga-Tenaga pair. This thing has very long legs, which it uses to wade into the ocean while the Tenaga sits on his shoulders. This is represented here by his ability to swim, and if he had been deployed alongside the long-armed member, the two of them would fight using a sort of above-and-below tandem style that would be very annoying to deal with. He uses the Paramecia-type Oil Oil Fruit (Oiru Oiru no Mi).

The third member is based on the Oni, and his ability to convert ordinary objects to weapons comes from the expression "an Oni with an iron club", meaning something that is already formidable being made even more so through the use of a tool or a weapon. His Devil Fruit is the Human Human Fruit: Model Oni.


End file.
